A Family's Resilience
by JMS529
Summary: Sequel to Bruised Not Broken and Finding Happiness and Contentment. Marta returns five years after Mary and Marshall have been married to get her revenge against Marshall's father. She'll use whoever she has to in order to draw his father out.
1. Chapter 1

Many thanks to BuJyo for being the beta reader for this story.

Don't own the characters.

Author's Note: Since this is the third part of the series I left Marshall's Dad name as Ryder to provide continuity to the other two stories in the series that were written before finding out the show named Papa Mann Seth.

**A Family's Resilience**

Marta Smith stared out at the clouds as the plane flew towards New Mexico, her reluctant travel guest sitting next to her. They would land in Santa Fe and head out to the ranch she had rented for them during their stay

It had been five years since she left the country and given up the name Marta Smith for Victoria Hernandez. Five long years of cosmetic surgeries to change her appearance, planning, information gathering, and making arrangements to finally be able to put her plan into action. It had taken nearly four and a half years to find her reluctant companion.

Carlos Sanchez, formerly known as Raphael Ramirez, had been hidden well by the U.S. Marshal Service. It took four years before he had signed himself out of their care. It had taken the kidnapping of his mother and photo proof to convince him it was in her best interest for him to help out with what Marta asked. She hadn't planned on using that unless it became necessary because she knew they would need to leave a dead body behind. No one could be left around that could id her or her hired helpers. His mother was the only thing she had to use against him. She didn't tell him his ex fiancée had married her partner and had children. She'd let him find out on his own.

Ryder's son had married Mary Elizabeth Shannon and they now had two children. They had a son, Brennan Marshall Mann, who was now four years old and his sister, Emily Mary Mann, was 2 and half years old. Emily was their target. This all started with the death of Ryder's daughter, Emily Elizabeth Mann, and it would now come full circle with Ryder's granddaughter. She would use the child to bring the father to his knees and the grandfather into town. Revenge would finally be hers.

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Mary woke to the sun streaming through the windows of their bedroom and Marshall's arm wrapped protectively over her protruding belly. Moving her head to the side, she took in his sleeping form. He had been so exhausted last night or early this morning, depending on how you looked at it, that he had fallen asleep almost immediately. She gently traced the side of his face knowing exactly how lightly to touch without waking him up. She enjoyed the luxury of watching him sleep. The stress lines and tension from work disappeared and a sweet innocent smile replaced the silly grin usually plastered on his face. It was the same look Brennan had on his face when he slept.

Mary thought about the last five years. Their first anniversary was spent at the hospital with her giving birth to Brennan. When he was born her eyes filled with tears. She had her little Marshall to add to this world, just like she told him she wanted before they were married. A year and a half later Emily was born. She was the sparkle of her father's eyes. Not that he showed preference between the two, because he didn't, but she was a combination of both her and his late sister. That, in itself, gave her a special little corner of Daddy's heart. It was the same with her and Brennan. They loved them both dearly and neither would deny it.

Mary never thought she could be this happy. Marshall had shown her a world she never thought would exist for her, and would forever be grateful that he had come into her life. Rolling her eyes at herself, she hated to admit it but she turned into a huge sap when she was pregnant. Lightly lifting Marshall's arm, she slid out of the bed and covered him so he didn't wake up from her missing body heat.

Waddling down the hall, she quickly checked on the children before going to make coffee and getting breakfast set out for the kids. She needed to have them ready when Brandi and Peter arrived. They were going to take the kids while Mary and Marshall went to her doctor's appointment and they insisted on the kids staying the night. Brandi claimed it was so Mary and Marshall could have some alone time, but Mary suspected they were going to test the waters. Brandi and Peter had been married three years now and were talking about having children.

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Brennan woke up and padded down the hall to his parent's room after sneaking a peak at his Mommy in the kitchen. Quietly entering the room, he pulled himself onto the bed to watch his Daddy sleep. Placing a quick kiss to his father's cheek, he waited to see if that woke him up. He wanted eggs and knew the only way to get them was for his Dad to get up. Mommy wasn't allowed to bake in the kitchen, according to Daddy. When his father didn't stir, he pulled the blankets down to see if that would do the trick. Not working. Brennan finally shook his father's shoulder.

"Daddy? Daddy, are you awake?" Brennan asked softly. He didn't want Mommy catching him. He knew Mommy preferred to let Daddy sleep in when he could.

Marshall felt something shaking his shoulder and finally opened an eye to see his son staring at him intently. "Hey, buddy."

"Daddy! You're awake! Can we have eggs?" Brennan asked innocently.

Marshall knew that meant Mary was putting cereal out for the kids and that Brandi and Peter would be picking them up shortly.

"Yep, let me get your sister while you go into the kitchen," Marshall said while ruffling his son's hair.

Brennan was about to hop off the bed when he remembered. "Love you, Daddy," he said before hugging him

"Love you too," Marshall smiled, wiping the sleep from his eyes before heading to Emily's room.

Marshall opened the door to Emily's room and watched as she slowly began to wake up. A warm smile lit his face at the beautiful little girl they had created. His breath caught every now and then when he saw her do something his sister used to. Walking into the room, he noticed her outstretched hands and picked her up.

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Mary heard the shuffle of Brennan's feet as he approached the kitchen.

"Morning, Brennan," Mary greeted as he came to her and hugged her.

"Hi Mommy." Brennan then gently tapped her stomach. "Morning, babies."

Mary smirked before ruffling his hair. "What cereal do you want?"

"Daddy making eggs."

"Daddy's sleeping," Mary said hopefully.

"Na uh. He said he make eggs after getting Emmy."

"Brennan, did you wake Daddy up?" Mary asked.

Brennan knew by the scowl on her face he wasn't supposed to. He nodded his head in reply though.

"What did I tell you about waking your father up?" Mary raised an eyebrow at him. She had a hard time getting angry with him because of that damn silly grin he inherited from his father.

"Not to."

"Why did you then?" Mary continued, as she heard the subject of conversation coming down the hall.

"He wanted eggs for breakfast and knew there was only one way to get the good kind," Marshall replied for his son.

Mary glared at Marshall. "You belong in bed, Doofus."

"Later, I can go back to sleep. Morning, beautiful," Marshall kissed her as he walked by, putting Emily down in her chair.

"Marshall," Mary's voice had a small edge to it.

"Do you want eggs and bacon also?" Marshall knew the answer, but figured he might be able to change topics.

"You know I do, and you also know that I know you are trying to distract me from yelling at you for being up when your scrawny a… butt should be in bed where it belongs."

"You like my scrawny butt. You said so on several occasions." Marshall smirked while cracking the eggs. Mary had been working on tempering her words around the kids since the first time Brennan repeated a swear word in front of his parents. Mary had been mortified.

"Fine," Mary snapped a little before pouring herself another cup of coffee. "Hey," she yelped as said cup was removed from her hands.

"The March of Dimes recommends only one twelve ounce cup to avoid risks. You've already fulfilled your quota for the day. Thanks for pouring me some," Marshall added as he began to drink the coffee while Mary glared at him. It was becoming a morning routine with them. She missed the caffeine, although if she was honest, she was very careful with it.

"Why did I marry you again?" Mary questioned as he put a glass of milk in front of her.

"Apparently for my butt and culinary skills," Marshall replied sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, I knew there had to be a reason," Mary said while trying to hide the smile. She loved when they were all together. She would never admit it to most people. The ones that needed to know already did; besides, she did have a reputation to uphold.

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Brandi and Peter arrived to see both cars in the driveway. "Marshall's back."

Brandi opened the door slightly before calling out, "Mary?"

"You know they are both in law enforcement and it might be wiser to knock before just opening the door, honey," Peter cautioned.

"You should listen to the man, Squish. He's smart, but I'm unarmed at the moment," Mary smirked.

"Marshall asleep?" Brandi asked

"No, he should be though." Mary didn't get more out before her two children came in to get hugs from Aunt Brandi and Uncle Peter, followed by Marshall.

"Good morning Peter, Brandi," Marshall greeted. "What are the plans for our rugrats?"

"The aquarium, lunch and the park," Peter replied.

"Aquarium?" Marshall perked up.

"You have plans, mister," Mary cautioned while poking him in the chest.

"We'll get you a souvenir," Brandi laughed as she saw the disappointed look on Marshall's face.

Mary and Marshall said goodbye to their children while Peter loaded up their overnight bags. Mary watched as Marshall stayed by the door as they drove away. She hated the way his sister's death still haunted him. The first time they left Brennan with Brandi and Peter, Mary asked why he was at the door. Brennan would be back later that day. His reply and look on his face flashed back in her mind.

"_We don't ever really know that. I want to make sure he knows that I love him and I see him for as long as possible," Marshall's fear laced voice answered her._

Marshall always watched until he couldn't see them anymore. It hurt her to see him worry so much. She wished she could give him that security back. Walking up behind him she gently turned him around when the kids were out of sight and pulled him into her embrace, offering what comfort she could.

"We need to get you back to bed," Mary reminded gently when she saw him yawn.

"Come with me," Marshall's voice was steady but she could see his need for her to be close.

"Always," Mary whispered before kissing him on the lips and leading them to the bedroom. She fell asleep listening to his heartbeat as he slept.

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Brandi and Peter were having a blast with Brennan and Emily. The fish were a big hit with her niece and her nephew enjoyed the sharks. Brennan had picked out Marshall's souvenir shark shirt that said 'bite me'. Brandi laughed so hard she nearly peed in her pants. It was the perfect gift for her brother-in-law. They had then gone for some hamburgers at Bob's burgers. As they were entering, Brandi noticed a car pull in that she could've sworn she had seen at the aquarium. Ignoring it, she went inside, and when they came out she had forgotten all about it and was enjoying the excitement the kids had for going to the park. Parking their car, they headed over towards the playground.

"What do you want to do first?" Peter asked.

"Slide!" Brennan said excitedly while Emily pointed to the swings.

"Alright, boys to the slide girls to the swings," Brandi said, lifting Emily up in the air and enjoying her giggling as Brennan grabbed Peter's hand, pulling him towards the slide.

They were so wrapped up in playing with the kids that they didn't notice the appearance of another car at the park. The car pulled into a parking slot and sat there. The two men inside watching the playground.

"Victoria wants us to grab the little girl. Something about completing the circle. I want this done and over with so we can get out of town. Messing with the children of U.S. Marshals makes me nervous," the driver said to his companion, who was opening the glove compartment and reaching in.

"We definitely need to high tail it out of here as soon as possible. She had more men flying in from somewhere else to take over the rest of her plan. I don't know what it is, nor do I want to. I don't like this job at all." The other man said.

"I can't believe your uncle conned us into this. What's the game plan, Aaron?"

"Look, Ricky, Uncle Clint stated the boss wanted the girl. No harm was to come to her, Victoria doesn't want to kill her, just use her for bait. We grab the girl that's all we have to do." Aaron Fitzgerald didn't like the fact that Ricky Frey had brought a gun to this. Guns meant trouble and trouble could brew quicker then anyone anticipated. The boss wouldn't like it one bit.

"It's just a precaution. How do you want to play this out?" Ricky asked.

"Pretend to be lost and looking for directions. Grab the map." Aaron started to open the door.

Brandi was pushing Emily when she noticed the car. It was the same one she had seen at their last two locations. Not wanting to take any chances, she called out to Peter.

"Peter, I think it's time to go. We still have to make a few pit stops." Brandi inclined her head towards the car that was parked.

Peter took the subtle hint and caught Brennan as he slid down and picked him up. Brandi was in the process of getting Emily off the swing. They were half way to their car when they saw the window come down on the car.

"Aaron, we have a problem," Ricky said, pointing, as the group started heading towards their car.

"Why the sudden rush?" Aaron asked.

"I think they saw us earlier. The blonde just nodded towards the car. We aren't going to have a chance to grab the girl. We can't go back empty handed." Ricky said, lowering the window.

Aaron realized what Ricky's intentions were as he saw him lift the gun. He tried to hit his arm to prevent him from shooting, but it was too late. The gunshot echoed eerily around the park and was soon penetrated by a scream of 'no!'

Aaron didn't hesitate; he threw the car into reverse, and with squealing tires, got out of the area as fast as he could. The boss was going to kill the two of them.

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Mary and Marshall were just leaving the doctor's office. She was trying not to laugh at the proud smirk he wore. The doctor had said the twins were doing fine and the ultrasound was incredible to see. Once they heard the heartbeats, they both smiled, and Marshall hadn't been able to lose the grin.

"Why is it the man always gets the big smile about the fact that he knocked the woman up? I mean, really, all that it takes is sex, and the male walks around as proud as a peacock. I've seen it on all the father's faces. It's a 'look what I did'. The women on the other hand, get the sickness, aches, swollen body parts and look like a beached whale. How does that work?" Mary asked, intrigued. She saw the look on his face and shook her head. "On second thought, don't answer that question. It's about the ego isn't it? Honestly, Marshall, I expected better from you."

"Don't lump me with everyone else. I'm just happy that you and the babies are doing well, and besides, I love being a Dad almost as much as I love you."

"Nice save, Doofus." Mary smiled. She knew it was the truth where Marshall was concerned. The way his eyes lit up when they saw their children after being gone for work was testament to that. "Now feed me."

"Your wish is my command," Marshall teased, opening the passenger side door for her. Walking around to driver's side, he got in and was about to put the key in the ignition when his phone rang.

"Mann."

"Marshall, it's Dershowitz. You need to get to the hospital right away. There was a shooting in the park."

Mary looked over to see all the color drain from Marshall's face.

"Who?"

"Emily and Brandi. It looks like Brandi was carrying Emily and the bullet went through her shoulder and into Emily. Peter has Brennan and they are both pretty shook up, but no injuries. From what the few witnesses said, it looked like a car drove up and parked for a while. Brandi and Peter were heading back to their car when the bullet was fired. They didn't have a chance to protect them. Peter covered Brennan as soon as he saw Brandi and Emily go down." Dershowitz wanted to make sure that he knew it wasn't Peter or Brandi's fault.

"We're headed there now." Marshall quickly started the truck and swung out into traffic while hanging up the cell phone.

"Marshall?" Mary asked fearfully. She knew it was bad by Marshall's face and his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

Marshall took a few deep breaths before explaining to Mary what Dershowitz said. He released one of his hands off the steering wheel and entwined it with Mary's as she gasped at the news.

"How bad? Does he know?" Mary was trying to keep the fear from her voice but she still heard it crack.

"No, he doesn't. Peter is there with Brennan. We need to call Stan."

Mary nodded and grabbed her cell phone. She felt the tears streak down her face as she dialed.

"No you can't come back to desk duty," Stan answered his cell.

"Stan, Brandi and Emily were shot at the park. We are on our way to the hospital now. We don't have the full details yet."

"I'll have all threat assessments, prison releases, and anything else we can run done. Eleanor and I will meet you at the hospital."

"Thanks, Stan."

"How's Marshall?" Stan had to ask. This would be tearing his inspectors apart, but Marshall would be taking it harder because of Emily. He didn't need the reminder of what happened to his sister.

"Too soon to tell," Mary knew what Stan was thinking. It was already going through her mind also. "We'll see you there."

Mary hung up and squeezed Marshall's hand. She had a feeling he would need her to be the strong one. His sister's death nearly destroyed him, and she feared what would happen if their little girl didn't make it.

"Stan's having everything looked into. He and Eleanor are on the way to the hospital." Mary was already scared, but when Marshall only nodded her fear elevated. "We are in this together Marshall, don't shut me out. I need you. We all need you," she said, rubbing her stomach.

"I'm here, Mare. I'm here," He whispered brokenly.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter was pacing the hospital floor while trying to comfort a distraught Brennan. His nephew was clinging to him for dear life crying and calling for his parents.

"They're on their way, buddy. I promise you," Peter kept whispering over and over. He fought the fear and panic he felt in order to try and soothe his nephew.

"Peter," Mary called out as they rushed down the hall towards him and Brennan. When Peter turned around and she saw the blood on his shirt, she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips.

Peter looked down before realizing what had caused his sister-in-law to react. "I'm sorry, I didn't think-"

Before anyone could respond, Brennan reached out towards Marshall. "Daddy, Emmy and Aunt Brandi hurt."

Marshall took Brennan into his arms and held him tightly. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried not to think about the blood on Peter's shirt, and concentrated on his son's needs for the moment.

"I know, buddy, I know," Marshall whispered while running his hand in soothing circles around Brennan's back.

Mary let Marshall hold Brennan, for now fighting the urge to take him into her own arms. Right now Brennan was where he was needed most. Marshall had barely said anything since his whispered words in the truck. Mary walked over to the nurse's station to see if there was information on either Brandi or Emily and to see if she could get a scrub or something to give to Peter. Anything to not have to look at her daughter's blood pooled on a shirt.

Mary walked over to Peter and Marshall. "They're still being looked at. She can't tell me anything yet. Peter, why don't you put this on?" Mary handed him a scrub top, which Peter thankfully grabbed and excused himself briefly to change.

Brennan was still crying on Marshall's shoulders, but the sounds were getting weaker. Marshall had finally lost his battle to keep his tears from pouring down his face. Mary walked over to her guys determined to be strong for them. She kissed Brennan on the head while Marshall wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into them. When she heard Marshall's choked sob she couldn't hold back her tears. Leaning into her husband's chest she let the grief take over. It felt like her heart was being torn into two pieces and the sob escaped before she could stop it. Marshall and Mary clung to each other hoping to provide each other the strength.

Stan and Eleanor came rushing down the hall. Seeing all of them huddled together they feared the worst.

"Mary, Marshall?" Stan called out.

Mary lifted her head up and looked towards Stan and Eleanor.

"We're still waiting for them to tell us something," Mary choked out.

Marshall wanted to ask what was going on with the investigation, but didn't want to wake up Brennan who had finally cried himself to sleep.

"Mary, why don't you and Brennan sit down?" Marshall suggested while composing himself.

Mary knew what he wanted to talk to Stan about and carefully accepted Brennan as she moved to the chairs.

"What do you know?" Marshall demanded.

"Not much right now. All the cases are being looked over and scanned through for all threats to you or Mary. We are also running checks on Brandi and Peter just to make sure."

"Is she back?" Marshall asked. The fear that he had shared with Mary on their wedding night was coming back to him. He had never stopped looking for Marta Smith.

"Is who back?" Stan replied.

"Marta. Were there any sightings of her?" Marshall tried again.

Stan looked at Marshall, shocked, and noticed Eleanor giving him the same look. He had figured they were clear from her.

"Marshall, she's been dormant for five years. Do you really think she'd risk coming back?" Stan asked.

"She was gone for thirty years before striking up her revenge before. Yes, I think she'll come back. When trouble hits it seems to be her or her family. Since she is the only one left it makes her a suspect. I haven't seen anything or been able to find her at all since she left. She wants my Dad dead, and I'm sure at this point I'm on her list of hated people too. She doesn't have a problem using others to achieve her goals."

"Okay, I'll check into it. You need to realize that it might not be her. I'll put a detail on all of you until I know this wasn't someone coming after one of you," Stan reassured him.

Marshall nodded his understanding. "Thanks, Stan."

"Have you told your parents yet?" Eleanor asked.

Marshall shook his head. "I'm not sure I should. If it is Marta and my Dad comes here…"

"Marshall, the two of you have a lot of enemies at this point. I don't think your parents would want to be left out of the loop," Stan cautioned. "Besides, if it is Marta then they would need to know."

"Not yet, Stan. I can't put them in danger again. I need to know," Marshall said, ending the conversation. They moved over to Mary, Peter and Brennan. "Let me take him, Mare."

Mary could tell Marshall needed to hold him. She didn't want to let go either, but Marshall needed him more. The haunted look on his face concerned her.

"Everything okay?" Mary asked, noting the worry on Stan and Eleanor's face, especially when Marshall nodded yes.

Before anything more could be said, a doctor began to walk towards them. They all stood up as he approached.

"Are you the family of Brandi Alpert?"

"Yes, she's my wife." Peter said firmly.

"Your wife was shot in the left shoulder. The bullet was a through and through. It didn't hit any of the vessels but did damage some muscles and nerves. Pending no complications, she should be fine. Her shoulder will cause her pain for awhile and she will need physical therapy to help with her recovery."

"Thank you, doctor," Peter said. "What about my niece? Have you heard anything about her? They were brought in together."

"I'm sorry, I don't know. You would need to speak with her doctor," the doctor told them as he began to stand up. "A nurse will come for you as soon as your wife is moved to a room."

Peter felt relieved about Brandi, but couldn't relax knowing that Emily was still back there somewhere.

"I'm so sorry, Mary, Marshall. We made to leave when we saw the car just sitting there."

"It's not your fault. You protected Brennan, and Brandi tried to protect Emily. This is not your fault," Mary said, trying to reassure him. A part of her wanting to scream, 'why they didn't leave sooner', but knew they didn't have the instincts she and Marshall did.

Marshall nodded with what Mary said, not trusting himself to speak. He knew his wife was right and that Peter and Brandi would've done everything they could to protect their children. It was obvious Peter was shook up. Taking his fear out on him wouldn't do anyone any good.

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Aaron and Ricky headed towards the ranch trying to figure out what to tell Victoria Hernandez about the screw up.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Aaron asked angrily.

"I was thinking coming up empty handed was a bad idea," Ricky snapped back.

"She wanted the girl alive and uninjured for a reason. Do you honestly think this is going to go over well?"

"We're about to find out," Ricky replied as they pulled into the driveway. An SUV was there.

Victoria heard the car and headed out to the front porch. When the two men got out of the vehicle empty handed she felt her blood boil.

"Aren't we missing something, boys? I was told you were good at what you do. This doesn't seem very promising," Victoria said angrily.

"Things got a little complicated at the park," Aaron shrugged.

"What kind of complicated?" She asked.

"The kind where the kid and aunt were shot as they tried to leave the park. They noticed us and began to head out," Ricky replied.

"So you thought shooting them was a good idea?" Victoria asked again.

"It was that or nothing," Ricky said carelessly.

Victoria was tempted to shoot the two men herself. This changed her plans.

"You realize that you have compromised my plans. If I were you I'd leave here and not come back."

"What about our pay?" Ricky demanded.

"You failed to perform on your end of the contract. As stated before the job, if you don't do what you are asked you don't get paid. I'll be talking to Clint about your performances. Now I suggest you leave before I shoot you," Victoria said, calmly pulling out her own gun.

Aaron grabbed Ricky by the shirt and pulled him towards the car. They got in and drove off.

"She's crazy," Ricky said, shocked.

"I told you not to hurt the kid. You know how much trouble we're about to be in? Uncle Clint isn't going to be happy about the blow to his reputation," Aaron replied heatedly.

Victoria watched them drive off. She now had to figure out a new way to lure Marshall Mann into the open. Originally they were going to swap father for daughter and then son for father. Grabbing her phone, she called Clint to tell him of the failure and no payment as she headed inside to come up with an alternative plan.

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Marshall was pacing back and forth in the hallway. The longer they waited the more edgy he got. They had finally laid Brennan down across a chair when Mary had enough.

"Marshall, _sit_ down," she hissed through gritted teeth. It was the one habit of his that drove her nuts.

Marshall snapped his head towards her, surprised at the tone. Seeing the stress in the way her shoulders stiffened, he complied.

"Why don't you call your parents? They're going to want to know," Mary suggested softly.

"No, not till I know it's safe for them to come here. If they know Emily is hurt they'll be on the first flight out. I can't put them in harm's way," Marshall babbled.

Mary looked at him like he grew a second head. "What are you talking about?"

"Mary, every time we have an injured person in this family it's related to one person. If Marta is back in town then I don't want my parents here. As a matter of fact, I don't want you or the kids here either."

Mary hadn't even thought of that possibility. "Marshall, we haven't seen or heard from her in years. I know that your greatest fear is that she'll come back to harm us, but you don't have any clues pointing to her. There haven't been any sightings of her. You check periodically. I know that you do. She and her family have caused you a whole world of pain that I don't even know how to take away. You can't keep doing this to yourself. Your parents have been exceptional to us and we need to tell them what is going on. I don't want them hearing it somehow accidentally. If you don't call them I will," Mary didn't like putting him into this position, but currently he needed a swift kick in the ass.

Marshall rubbed his hand back and forth across his neck. "I can't, Mare, not yet. Please understand. Please."

Mary cupped his chin forcing him to look her in the eyes. All she saw was pain and fear in his. "Marshall. I love you, you know that. I'm not trying to make this harder on you, but it needs to be done. We'll wait until we hear about Emily's condition, but then I'm calling your parents." Mary leaned her head against his shoulder and reached for his hand.

Marshall wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her head into his chest. He kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on it while thinking about what she said.

"I know they've done a lot for us, Mare, but I still don't want them here. It might not be safe. I was completely serious about you and the kids not being here either," Marshall didn't miss the fact she ignored that.

"I know you were. I have no problem sending the kids somewhere that is safe. You are not getting me to leave. Every time I have left you when that family has come after you, something bad happened to you. I'm _**not**_ leaving. I don't care what you say or do. I will accept a detail for protection, but I'm not leaving unless you leave," Mary stated adamantly, already knowing his counterargument.

"In case you've forgotten, you are in no condition to be my backup. It isn't healthy or safe for the three of you to stay behind. I can't be worrying about you and the babies if it comes down to that. Promise me you'll go."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Marshall. I won't promise that. I can live with being stuck in a safe house or our house under guards to protect our unborn children, but I'm not leaving Albuquerque without you." Mary covered his lips before continuing. "I don't want to argue about this now. We have enough to worry about. We'll cross that bridge when, or if, we get there. Let's just worry about Emily."

Marshall didn't get a chance to respond as a doctor came out and headed their way.

"Are you Emily's parents?" she asked.

"Yes, we are. How's our daughter?" Marshall asked anxiously.

"The bullet went into her shoulder and lung. We have stitched up the hole in her shoulder and that should heal fine providing there are no infections. We are concerned about her lungs. We did a chest x-ray and have noticed fluid building up in her lung and it is causing her to have difficulty breathing," the doctor was about to continue when Marshall interrupted.

"Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome?" Marshall asked.

"Correct. We've done chest x-rays and other tests to determine how well she's oxygenating. She's intubated right now, which means she's on a ventilator, and we're adjusting the settings to keep her breathing comfortable while allowing her lungs to move the most oxygen they can. Keep them from accumulating more fluid. She's sedated and has pain medicine through her IVs, in addition to fluids and nutrition. We'll watch her very closely for signs of infection, or any indication that her other organs are being affected by her treatment or her condition."

"What are her chances of being okay?" Mary asked, not understanding all the medical crap.

"We are cautiously optimistic. She had received medical treatment early, so that goes in her favor. A lot will depend on how well she responds to the treatment. She is going to be moved to the pediatric intensive care unit. The nurse will let you know as soon as they have her moved." The doctor made to leave and Stan pulled her off to the side.

"Thank you," Marshall said absently.

Mary turned to her husband. "What does all of that mean? I get the cautiously optimistic, but I don't get the diagnosis."

Marshall explained it to Mary and held her tight when the tears escaped her eyes. When he felt her regain her composure and pull away from him he looked down at her.

"After you see Emily, I want you and Brennan to go home and get some sleep. I'll stay with Emily thru the night."

"I'm not leaving our daughter," Mary insisted.

"Mary, Brennan needs to sleep in his own bed. He needs to feel safe and protected. You need to sleep. You're already tired, and don't try to deny it. I know you, Mrs. Mann. I'm going to have Stan send you home with a detail and have them keep watch." Marshall wasn't going to back down on any of this.

Mary saw the determined look in his eyes and the tension in his jaw. She knew that they would end up in a huge argument that would get blown out of proportion if she started it. Emotions were already running high, and she didn't need to add to Marshall's stress level. She then looked at her son who was sleeping with his head in Grandpa Stan's lap. Grandma Eleanor was gently running her fingers through his hair in a soothing gesture. She knew Marshall was right about what Brennan needed also.

"Fine, but I want to see Brandi before I go. Brandi will be blaming herself for all of this when she wakes up," Mary shrugged.

"I can live with that," Marshall said.

"Now, I'm going to make a call." Mary noticed the way Marshall looked at her. "I don't think Peter called Jinx, and I'll call your parents. I won't accept no as an answer for that either, Marshall. I know you don't want to do it, or maybe you can't say the words. I don't know, but I know they need to hear it from one of us. You're not ready and I won't push you to do it, but I'm calling,"

Marshall knew that stance and knew he wouldn't win the argument. Since she caved in on the going home he knew he had to give her something in return.

"Fine, but warn them, just in case," Marshall turned and went back towards Stan and Eleanor.

Mary knew he was angry, but wouldn't push her too far. They had learned their limits in the five years they had been married and throughout their partnership.

Mary walked away from her family but made sure that Marshall could at least see her. She knew it would bother him if he couldn't. His fear that Marta was back was going to make him severely over protective.

"Mann residence," Ryder answered the phone.

Mary couldn't help but smirk at his voice. "Ryder, it's Mary."

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you and my grandbabies doing?" Ryder asked.

"Ryder, we have a problem," Mary started, but had to stop as a picture of what Emily must have looked like lying on the ground bleeding popped into her head.

"Mary, what's wrong?" Ryder picked up on her troubled voice.

"Emily was shot today at the park. We're at the hospital." Mary explained what she knew and what the doctor's told them.

"What aren't you telling me, Mary?" Ryder knew she was holding out on something. "Why didn't Marshall call?"

"He doesn't want you coming out here. Marshall is worried Marta is involved. Stan's double checking all the airports and seeing if there is any activity with her, but I'm worried about him, Ryder. He's going to obsess over this until the person who shot Emily is found."

"It's bringing everything back again. We'll be on the first flight out there. Elizabeth and I are coming no matter what. We can help you with Marshall and the kids. I'll talk to Marshall when we get there. Thank you for calling us, Mary." Ryder hung up to see Elizabeth staring at him.

"Was that about the appointment?" Elizabeth was looking forward to more grandchildren.

Ryder explained what happened and held his wife as she cried. It was reopening old wounds for them also.

"We need to get a flight out of here and pack," he said, brushing the tears away before moving to call for a flight.


	3. Chapter 3

The nurse had come to get Mary and Marshall. They were lead to the ICU unit, and both froze as they entered to see Emily hooked up to a ventilator and not moving. Mary was the first to enter, quickly pulling up the chair so she could sit by her daughter.

"Mommy and Daddy are here, Emily. Everything is going to be okay." Mary kissed her on the forehead and squeezed her hand.

Marshall felt like someone sucked all the air from his lungs. He wasn't prepared to see her still pale form. He closed his eyes and his mind flashed to Mary hooked up on the ventilator after the shooting all those years ago.

Mary turned to look at Marshall, and when she saw his eyes closed she knew what was happening. Getting up as quickly as she could, she stood in front of her husband and put her hands on both sides of his face.

"Marshall, look at me. Stop thinking of the past and look at me," she demanded. A few minutes passed and his eyes opened.

"Mare," Marshall's voice caught.

Mary saw the tear slip down his cheek and brushed it away. "She'll be okay. You and I are both fighters. Emily's got a stubborn streak hiding beneath that sweet surface that is going to emerge and show you how hard she can fight. Our daughter _will_ be fine."

Marshall leaned his forehead against hers and nodded. He was focusing his energy on breathing at the moment. Mary kissed him gently on the lips and he finally got his emotions controlled. Emily needed him to be strong. He was glad they left Brennan with Eleanor and Stan and that there was an age restriction in the ICU's. The nurse mentioned they could arrange a visit with a sibling, and Marshall figured they eventually would, but not until she was better. He didn't want Brennan to see this. A part of him wondered if his parents would have felt the same had his sister lived.

"I'm okay, Mare," Marshall said, calming down. "I know you want to stay, but you and Brennan are going to need to go home soon." He gently stroked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Mary hated when he switched gears that quickly. Sometimes she had a hard time keeping up with his moods.

"I'll go in an hour to see Brandi and then we'll go home. I'll be back first thing in the morning. You have to promise me that you'll call if you need anything. I'm worried about you too."

"I'll be fine," Marshall promised as he reached for Emily's hand.

"Promise," Mary demanded.

"I promise."

The hour seemed to pass by too quickly for Mary. She knew Marshall was keeping an eye on her also. The minute the clock hit an hour he moved to help her get up.

"Marshall, she needs me here." Mary heard the words leave her lips and briefly realized how much being married and becoming a mother changed her. She never understood babies until she had her own.

"I'll be here. I'll call if anything happens. You need the rest and don't glare at me that way. It isn't my fault you couldn't control yourself that night," Marshall smirked in memory.

"Nobody has the right to look that good in jeans, boots and riding a horse," Mary mumbled under her breath.

"You weren't complaining then," Marshall lightly teased, seeing the blush briefly flash across Mary's cheeks.

"Neither were you, and if I recall, you did nothing to stop me," Mary reminded him. She watched Marshall turn red this time.

"Geez, what are we doing? Emily is lying in that bed and we're flinging crap at each other." Marshall felt guilty.

"That is what Emily knows. She's used to our banter and would be smiling right now if she could. There is nothing wrong with what we were doing, Marshall. Teasing, flinging crap, and laughing have become our outlets for stress. Our daughter wouldn't mind."

Marshall nodded and leaned over to kiss Emily on the forehead. "I'll be right back, my sweet baby girl."

Mary was going to argue, but she knew he wouldn't give in. He would want to see them out to the car and watch them drive away. He'd ask Stan or Eleanor to sit with Emily until he returned.

"I need to stop by to see Brandi first. Do you want me to come back and get you?" Mary asked, leaving him options she knew he needed for the time being.

"No, why don't you wait here with Emily while I grab Stan or Eleanor to sit with her? It will give you a few more minutes."

Mary reluctantly agreed. It's not that she didn't want to stay with Emily; it was the fact that she felt Marshall was resorting back to pushing them away to protect them. She was also worried about him going out on his own to find the person responsible. Normally she wouldn't have a problem with that either, but if Marta was involved she didn't want Marshall out there alone. She was hoping Ryder and Elizabeth would show up soon. Ryder and Stan would keep Marshall from going after Marta without backup. Mary watched him swiftly head out of the room.

"Okay, Emily, I need you to get better as quickly as possible for both you and Daddy. We need you, princess. I know you're daddy's girl and will do what you can. You have a special guardian angel looking out for you. Your namesake will help you find your way back to us." Mary knew she hadn't been to church in a long time, but she believed in Marshall's sister. She would look out for her namesake even if it was too just protect her baby brother's heart from shattering.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Peter had been sitting by Brandi's bedside waiting for her to wake up. Her fingers had just started to twitch and her eyes were fluttering.

"Peter?" Brandi's voice was scratchy and foreign to her.

"Right here," he said, squeezing her hand.

She stared at him, confused when she finally began to remember what happened.

"Emily and Brennan?"

"Brennan is fine, Emily was in surgery last I heard. Mary and Marshall haven't stopped by yet for an update," Peter replied.

"How bad is it? I should have noticed something sooner." Brandi was getting really upset knowing that Emily was in surgery.

"It's not your fault. You're not trained to know how to spot threats as easily as we are," Marshall stated calmly as he walked in the door. He knew by her reaction that she was really concerned about Emily. He had suspected she would be, but it helped ease the blame he'd been feeling towards them. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn't help but wonder if they'd reacted sooner if things wouldn't be different.

"How's Emily?" Peter and Brandi asked at the same time.

Mary grasped Marshall's hand and explained what the doctor said. Peter and Brandi couldn't help the tears that began to fall. They felt like they had failed in their responsibilities to protect Emily.

"Squish, how are you feeling?" Mary asked.

"I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am," Brandi babbled.

"What's done is done, let it go. There was nothing else you could'be done. If you don't let i go it will only eat you up," Marshall said knowingly.

They sat and talked until Brandi fell asleep. Peter again apologized as Mary and Marshall left the room. They headed out towards Eleanor and saw the detail Stan had called in.

Marshall leaned over to pick up Brennan.

"Daddy?" the voice was soft and confused.

"I'm here, buddy. You and Mommy are going home. I'm going to stay with Emily."

"Can I sleep in your spot?" Brennan asked groggily.

"If it's okay with Mommy, then I don't mind. You just have to be careful with Mommy."

"I won't hit the babies. I promise," Brennan's voice was fading as he finished his statement.

"Good night, Brennan." Marshall felt his breathing on his neck and heard a soft snore.

"Let's go." Marshall walked Mary out to the car where one of the marshals was sitting in the driver seat. Once Mary was in, he set Brennan next to her in his car seat.

Mary waited till Marshall rounded back to her. "Love you."

"I love you, Mare," Marshall kissed her goodbye before closing the door and watching them drive out of sight. He headed straight to Emily's room.

Marshall had to smile as he saw Stan sitting by the bed reading to Emily.

"Thanks, Stan," Marshall said as he saw his boss close the book.

"My pleasure. Mary and Brennan get off okay?" Stan observed Marshall to try and see how he really was coping.

"Yeah, I appreciate the detail."

"You're all getting one. Yours should be here shortly, and there is one on Brandi's room until we know that all of you are safe. I have requested airline passenger lists and videotapes of the surrounding states major airports. If it is Marta, she would be coming from overseas. The police have a B.O.L.O out on the car from the park. You need to concentrate on Emily, your family and yourself. I'll keep you informed when we get updates," Stan replied.

"I'll be here." Marshall shrugged.

"Make sure you sleep, Marshall. You have a whole lot of people that need you right now and you won't be doing them any good, or yourself, if you become exhausted." Stan cautioned.

"I'll try."

"Alright, I'll stop by in the morning. Eleanor is going to come by also. Take care, and call me if you need anything." Stan waited until he got the nod of understanding.

Marshall took the seat Stan had vacated.

"Daddy's back, Emily," he whispered, and stroked his thumb over her hand.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary arrived home to find Ryder and Elizabeth getting out of a rental. She made sure the detail was aware that they were okay to be there. The last thing they needed was someone else injured.

Ryder turned as he heard the SUV pull up. Setting the suitcases at the door he walked over to Mary as she got out of the vehicle. He noticed her start to reach in for something and knew it was his grandson.

"Let me get him, Mary," Ryder insisted.

"Thanks, I didn't want to wake him up unless it was necessary."

"How's he holding up?"

Mary explained he cried himself to sleep at the hospital. Then she realized that Elizabeth was waiting at the door for them.

"I'm sorry," she called out to Elizabeth as she and Ryder approached.

"How's my little guy doing?" Elizabeth asked.

"As well as can be expected. It's good to see both of you."

"Did Marshall stay at the hospital?" Ryder asked.

"Yes, they only allow one parent to spend the night with the child and he decided that I needed to come home and sleep," Mary replied, a little more fiercely then she had meant.

"You know he's worried about you and the babies. He was right that you need a decent night's sleep," Elizabeth reassured her gently.

"I know, it's just hard not being able to be where I'm needed the most right now. Emily needs me and so does Marshall. I know Brennan does too, but I'm worried about how this is going to affect Marshall."

"We'll all get through this. We can head to the hospital first thing in the morning," Ryder reminded her. "You look exhausted, Mary."

"I'm fine," Mary insisted, even though they all knew she was pushing herself. One look at her face and it showed.

Ryder took Brennan to his bedroom and tucked him in while Mary and Elizabeth sat in the living room. Ryder realized he forgot to ask how her sister was.

"How's Brandi doing?" Elizabeth asked before Ryder could.

They sat and talked for another hour before going to bed. The scream that pierced the house woke them all up and had them running towards Brennan's room.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Brennan screamed, even as Mary wrapped him in her arms.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm here," Mary repeated the manta over and over while rocking him back and forth.

"Emmy hurt. Bad men hurt Emmy."

"Daddy's watching Emmy. He'll keep her safe," Mary whispered reassuringly.

"Stay with you, Mommy, please. Daddy said I could."

"You can stay with me. Mommy will keep you safe." Mary had forgotten Marshall told Brennan he could stay with her. Mary fought back the sob that wanted to escape. She wondered briefly if this is how Marshall had felt all those years ago.

Mary went to pick Brennan up when Ryder stepped in.

"Let me carry him to the room."

"Grandpa Mann," Brennan said in surprise.

"Hey, Sport. Let's get you tucked in by Mommy." Ryder smiled when he felt the nod on his shoulder. Brennan was so much like Marshall that it scared him sometimes. He never wanted his grandson to carry the burdens his own son did.

Mary lay back down and Ryder set Brennan next to her.

"Good night, Brennan." Ryder kissed him on the forehead. He had sworn since the day his grandson was born that he wouldn't ever run again when things got tough. He knew he had done that to Marshall and Elizabeth and he would never repeat that mistake.

Mary looked at Ryder's face in the soft lighting of the bedroom. She could tell he was lost in thought. Brennan fell asleep almost immediately, so Mary didn't have to worry about him overhearing.

"Where are you, Ryder?" Mary liked the fact that she had grown enough since she and Marshall had been married that she was actually comfortable asking them personal questions.

"Past regrets, promises I made not to make the same mistakes. I still wonder if I could have eased Marshall's burdens if I hadn't gone away so much. It bothers me that he still carries the grief and insecurities from that. You have helped him so much, but I'm not sure any of us can completely take it away. I don't want my grandkids to go through that."

"Ryder, we won't let them. You need to let the past go too. Mistakes were made, but they were never done for the wrong reasons. You were trying to protect your family and it backfired on you. You know he still has to watch them leave until he can't see them anymore. I worry about letting him do that, worried that it reinforces the past. He's worried that Marta is back. That she had something to do with this. I know it's a possibility, but every time something bad happens he's going to assume it's related to her," Mary finally expressed her worries.

"I'll try and talk to him tomorrow. Now get some sleep." Ryder laughed when Mary rolled her eyes.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta was pacing back and forth in the den at the ranch. Marshall wouldn't leave the hospital with his daughter in it. She knew the family well enough to know that nothing short of protecting their safety would get him out of there.

A smile graced her face. That was the key. She needed him to leave the hospital and start looking for her. Marshall knew she wanted revenge and would do anything to keep them safe. She thought about her guest upstairs. A plan slowly began to form. It was time to give Marshall Mann a lesson about focusing on only one target. It was her son's downfall and would be Marshall Mann's also.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Morning had come quickly in one sense to Marshall, and in another it had been the longest night of his adult life. He spent the night watching every monitor, listening to every sound of the ventilator and every sound in the corridor. He didn't sleep at all, and wasn't sure if he could.

The nurses had come and gone as Marshall read stories, hummed, and eventually sang Emily her song. He had started the tradition with Brennan. He had picked the lullaby 'All Through the Night' for him. When Emily was born he had heard a song by Kenny Rogers called 'Handprints on the Wall'. Clearing his throat, he traced his thumb over Emily's hand and began:

The wait turned into hours,  
Before you came my way.  
The smile that filled a daddy's heart,  
On that special day.  
The moment left me speechless,  
I didn't know what to say.  
Then you took your first breath,  
An' that took mine away.

Days go by so quickly;  
Summer turns to fall.  
Seems like only yesterday,  
That you began to crawl.  
So don't be afraid to take that step,  
I'll catch you when you fall.  
I don't mind if you leave behind,  
A few handprints on the wall.

I can't describe this feeling,  
Way down deep inside  
"The Itsy-Bitsy Spider",  
Was the first thing that we tried.  
An' "Patty Cake, The Baker's Man,"  
With your hands, so very small.  
You could always stay this young,  
And I wouldn't mind at all.

Days go by so quickly;  
Summer turns to fall.  
Seemed like only yesterday,  
That you began to crawl.  
So don't be afraid to take that step,  
I'll catch you when you fall.  
An' I don't mind if you leave behind,  
A few handprints on the wall.

So don't be afraid to take that step,  
I'll catch you if you fall.  
An' I won't mind if you leave behind,  
A few handprints on the wall.

He felt a tear streak down his cheek as he finished. He never heard anyone enter the room.

Mary felt her eyes tear up as Marshall sang to their daughter. It was the one secret she really enjoyed that he rarely shared. He had a beautiful voice. She saw the shock in Stan and Eleanor's faces and the knowing smile on his parents' face while they all listened.

Mary was the first to walk into the room and walked up behind him. Wrapping her arms around him she kissed the back of his head.

"Did you sleep at all?" Mary whispered, and felt his head shake no.

"How's Brennan?" Marshall whispered softly.

"He'll be fine. I dropped him off with Brandi and Peter. There's a detail outside," she added when she felt him stiffen.

Ryder and Elizabeth watched from the door. He wrapped his arms around her in comfort as they stared at their granddaughter hooked to the machines and watched Marshall, knowing his world was once again crumbling around him.

"You need to get some sleep." Mary squeezed his shoulder.

"I'll sleep when Emily is awake," Marshall replied.

"Son, you need to sleep. Emily will need you when she's awake," Ryder stated firmly.

Marshall startled at his father's voice. Wiping the tear away he turned around. He stood up and walked over towards them. He hugged them both before speaking his mind.

"Mom and Dad, I appreciate you coming. You shouldn't have. It puts you in danger and I don't like that. You should have stayed where it was safe."

"Marshall, I know you're worried, but like it or not we are not going to sit by idly while our granddaughter is in the hospital. I love you, but I don't ever want to hear you say that again. Am I perfectly clear on this?" Elizabeth asked sternly.

"Mom," Marshall was cut off.

"Enough, Marshall," Ryder warned. "This is what family does and you know that. We're here and we are _not_ leaving. You need to get some sleep. I'll drive you home."

"I'm not leaving," Marshall said firmly.

"Son, I know this is hard, but you need to listen to us. You will think more clearly after you've slept." Ryder tried again, noting the way his son set his jaw.

"I'm not leaving my daughter," Marshall insisted.

Mary had enough. "Yes you are. Don't glare at me or think about arguing with me. You need to get your head on straight. We know it's hard, but I went home last night. So don't even think I don't know how hard it is. You're going home and getting some sleep. If not, I'll have you physically removed from the hospital. We're not asking you to stay away all day, Marshall. You're no good to anyone if you collapse. You didn't get enough sleep before this happened and staying up all night isn't helping."

Marshall looked at Mary. She was determined, that was obvious from her stance. They could stand here and argue all day, but he didn't think that would help anything.

"Fine, but only for a few hours tops," Marshall answered.

"Four at the minimum," Mary demanded.

"Mare," Marshall started to protest.

"If anything changes, I'll call." It was the only compromise she was willing to make.

Marshall leaned his forehead against hers. "Promise?"

She gently cupped his cheek. "I won't let anything happen to her and I promise to call if anything changes. Please just get some sleep."

"I love you. I'm going to stop and see Brennan before we leave," Marshall told her.

"That's fine. Don't stay too long. Ryder, keep an eye on him for me." Mary kissed his cheek before sending him on his way.


	4. Chapter 4

Victoria Hernandez waited for Raphael Ramirez to enter the study. It was time to tell him a story and set him free. He would run to his precious Mary and find out his dreams were shattered far more then he had ever thought. She smiled as he sat down.

"Mr. Ramirez, I'm sure you're wondering why you are here."

"The thought crossed my mind," Raph replied sarcastically.

"I need you to tell me where in Albuquerque Marshall Mann resides."

"What does this have to do with Marshall?" Raph asked worriedly. He knew what happened the last time he gave up information on Marshall, even though it was accidental.

"Everything. If you want your mother to live you'll give me the information." Victoria smiled.

"I never knew where he lived. Mary is the one who knew," Raph said honestly.

"Yet your friend was able to help my son try to kill him," Victoria said.

"Excuse me? Who is your son?"

"Let me tell you a story," Victoria explained everything that happened to this point. She relished the shocked look on Raph's face.

"Who are you really?"

"Marta Smith."

Realization slid onto Raph's face. "How do I know if I help you that my mother will still be alive?"

"You don't," Marta said.

Raph was between a rock and a hard place. He knew the only way to get the information was to go to Mary. He could tell her what was happening. Maybe there was a way out of this.

"I would need to talk to Mary. I doubt she'll help me though." Raph knew Mary was serious when she said she never wanted to see him again.

"Do what you need to. If you tell her what's going on, you won't have a mother."

"I understand," Raph said, standing up.

"Good. Get me the address and call me or you know what will happen," Marta warned.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Raph took one of the cars from the ranch and drove to Mary's house. Walking up to the door, he took a deep breath and smiled as Jinx answered the door with a shocked look on her face.

"Raphael, what are you doing here?" Jinx asked, surprised.

"I need to speak with Mary," Raph stated adamantly.

"Mary doesn't live here anymore. She's at the hospital currently and really doesn't have time right now, Raph," Jinx answered sincerely. The last thing her daughter needed was her ex causing trouble.

"It's important. It's about Marshall." Raph hoped that would work.

"If you give me a message, I will pass it on, but Mary and Marshall have enough to deal with right now."

"Marshall is in danger from someone who has a grudge against him. I really need to talk to her," Raph insisted.

"I'll call her and see what she wants to do." Jinx didn't like where this was headed. She didn't know what happened after Raph had left, but she knew her daughter wouldn't forgive Raph.

"Thank you." Raph was surprised to see Jinx being so cautious.

Jinx dialed Mary's phone and waited for her to answer.

"How's she doing?" Jinx asked. "You have a visitor here that wants to talk to you about Marshall. He mentioned that Marshall was in danger."

"Who is it?" Mary asked. Jinx didn't seem worried about the visitor.

"Raph."

"Send him to the hospital. Stan and Eleanor are here. We can have a discussion with him," Mary couldn't keep the malice from her voice.

"Honey, is that a wise choice?" Jinx questioned.

"Don't argue, just do it," Mary hissed.

"Fine," Jinx said dramatically and passed the information to Raph.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Ryder was rotating between watching Marshall sleep restlessly and waiting in the living room. He still needed to talk to his son. He promised Mary and knew Marshall needed to hear what he had to say. The phone rang interuppting his thoughts.

"Mann residence."

"Ryder, it's Mary, something has come up. Is Marshall awake?"

"He's still sleeping. Why?" Ryder knew if Mary called it was important.

"Can you wake him up and bring him to the hospital?"

"Is Emily okay?" Ryder asked quickly.

"Yes, it's related to someone claiming there's a threat to Marshall. He needs to hear what's being said."

"I'll bring him there," Ryder said, walking back towards Marshall's room after hanging up. Gently shaking Marshall's shoulder he watched him sit straight up.

"What's wrong?" Marshall asked immediately.

Ryder relayed Mary's message.

Marshall quickly got ready and met his Dad in the living room.

"Let's go."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary had informed Stan of what was going on. Elizabeth was going to stay with Emily while they talked to Raph, but Mary needed to warn Marshall before they went in. She didn't want him to walk in and see her ex unexpectedly; especially after what he had done that led to Elizabeth's shooting.

Raph had arrived and was escorted into a conference room that Stan had commandeered. Mary saw Marshall and Ryder coming down the hall. She took a careful look at her husband and regretted having to call him. He had circles under his eyes.

"How's Emily?" Marshall asked right away.

"She's holding her own. Ryder, Elizabeth is with her, could you stay with them?" Mary asked.

Ryder knew what that meant by the way she looked at his son and her tone.

"Not a problem."

Mary looked back at Marshall. "Before we go into the conference room we need to talk."

"What's wrong?" Marshall asked.

Mary filled him in on who the source was.

"I can live with it as long as he tells me who is behind this. It will let me know if I need to send you, the kids, and my parents away until this is over. I can't protect you without knowing what is happening."

"I think we had this conversation before. I'm not leaving."

"Mary, I won't risk you and the kids. You can't have my back this time. Let's just see what he has to say and we'll go from there."

Mary wasn't happy with the conversation, but figured he was right about listening to what was said before making a judgment call.

"Fine, but then we will sit down and make a decision that we're both comfortable with, Marshall."

"Let's see what he has to say." Marshall couldn't help the feeling of anger that surged through him at the thought of seeing Raph again.

They headed into the conference room. Stan was sitting at the head of the table. Raph watched as Marshall and Mary came in. When he saw the heavily pregnant body of Mary he felt dismayed. She hadn't wanted children with him and it was obvious the way she looked at Marshall he was the father.

Marshall and Mary took a seat next to each other. Mary was glaring at Raph while entwining her fingers with Marshall's. She hadn't forgiven him for what he had put her husband and his parents through.

"How long?" Raph asked, looking at the two of them.

"You said you had information about someone who wanted to harm my husband," Mary stated, ignoring the question.

Raph could hear the anger in her voice. He knew she had been angry with him, but had hoped in time that the anger would fade.

"What do you know, Raph? If it's nothing then you best leave and stop wasting our time," Marshall warned.

"I'm not wasting your time. I know I couldn't make the same mistake as last time. This woman kidnapped my mother and threatened to kill her. I didn't know who she was, but she had a photo of my mother tied up. She needed to know where Marshall was and I had to fly back with her to the States. Later she told me it was so that you would chase me and not her. She said her name was Victoria Hernandez. Tonight she told me a story woven into the past through the present." Raph told them she revealed her name as Marta Smith and told them what she had told him from Marshall's sister to the mess up with his daughter.

"You were there when she arranged to have our daughter kidnapped?" Mary stood up angrily.

"No!" Raph exclaimed immediately. "They were apparently supposed to kidnap her, not hurt her. She was to be used to exchange for Marshall. They were to get her before we arrived."

"What flight did you come in on?" Marshall asked.

"What the hell difference does that make?" Mary lashed out.

"If she's had cosmetic surgery we need to know what she looks like," Marshall reminded her.

Mary glared at him. He was amused when she got absentminded during pregnancy and loved to quote the various results from studies which showed it happened.

Raph gave him the flight information and told them what she had mentioned to him before he left.

Stan finally spoke up. "We'll get airport security to give us the tapes."

"What about my mother?" Raph asked.

"We'll have someone look into her location, but you need to know that more than likely she will turn up dead. Marta won't want any witnesses left to her crimes. A detail will take you to a secure location. Marshall, I'll keep a detail on your family and get all of you moved to a safe house."

"I'm not going Stan. She wants me and we can use that to get to her."

"The hell you will," Mary said heatedly. "We have twins on the way and two other children who need both of us. You aren't putting yourself out as bait. There is no need to even consider a discussion on this. So don't try it."

"Stan, can we have the room?" Marshall asked.

"Raph, come with me," Stan ordered.

Marshall waited until they left before moving towards Mary. She was angry enough to move away from him.

"Don't try to talk your way out of this. What the hell is going through your head?" Mary asked angrily.

Marshall moved in towards Mary, effectively blocking her escape. Gently cupping her cheek and stroking a thumb gently back and forth he leaned his forehead against hers.

"I can't let her hurt or kill anyone else in this family, Mare. I couldn't survive it. I promised to protect our kids and Emily ended up in the hospital fighting for her life. Marta's out there and won't stop until she gets what she wants. I have to work the case, Mare, I have to. The only thing I can promise you and not be lying would be to say we use me as bait only as a last ditch effort. I need the rest of you to be put into a safe house. I'll be useless if you're not safe," Marshall choked out the last words. Pictures flashed through his mind of Emily's funeral, his mom lying on the floor with two bullet wounds, Mary on the gurney not breathing and what he thought was a rifle pointed at his father before the car bomb went off at the supermarket.

Mary hated to see Marshall cry. He had too much pain in his life already. "I'll only agree to the part with you working the case. Absolutely, positively, no using you for bait. I need you. You promised that you would be here for me and the twins. You vowed to grow old with me. I'm holding you to that promise. This is the only compromise I'm willing to make. No baiting with you. You're not a fish."

Marshall couldn't help but smirk at the last phrase. He kissed her, trying to express everything in that one kiss. When he pulled back for air he held onto her tightly.

Mary closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. "You are still under a binding contract to not die on me. It doesn't expire until were both old and gray and then you had better leave at the same time I do. Neither of us knows how to survive without the other. This is your entire fault you know. You wormed your way into my heart and never let go."

"That was a good thing, right?" Marshall asked lightly.

"A very good thing," Mary confided. "We can tell Stan that you can work the case. I'll make sure you are kept up on Emily's condition. I expect to see you on and off. She'll need to hear your voice. Brennan and I both need to see you on occasions. If you can't make it on a planned time you have to call me."

"Bossy wife," Marshall told her before capturing her lips once again. "I will do your bidding, my fair lady."

"You got that right, buster." Mary smiled at her Doofus.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan waited, hoping Mary talked some sense into Marshall. Baiting Marta didn't seem like a plan, much less a good one.

"What's the verdict?" Stan asked, seeing them walk out of the conference room.

"I can work the case but can't be used for fishing," Marshall answered and Mary smacked him.

"Huh?" Stan asked.

"He has my permission to work the case, but you are not allowed to use him as bait." Mary clarified and noticed Stan's shoulders relax.

"Let me say goodbye to Emily and Brennan and then I'll meet you at the office."

"I'll wait for you. Emily and Brandi's detail are still here. I've ordered a detail on each entrance and exit. I have one on Jinx and another for your parents. Mary and Brennan have a new detail on the way and you will have someone with you at all times. Usually me," Stan informed.

"Sounds good," Marshall confirmed. "Do my parents know what's going on?"

"Eleanor told them, so they are aware."

"Good. Thanks, Stan. I'm sorry this is happening again."

"Not your fault, Marshall, and don't forget that," Stan warned.

Marshall said his goodbyes and headed out with Stan to the office.

Mary walked into Emily's room to see two concerned faces staring at her.

"Is it wise to let him do this?" Elizabeth asked.

"If we don't, then we'll lose him. Marshall will go on his own if I don't let him. That would end up a whole lot worse. This way he has Stan keeping an eye on him. Marta will go after him and if he's alone she has a better chance of getting him. I don't like this either, Elizabeth, but we both know how stubborn he can be when it comes to protecting us."

Elizabeth nodded and looked to Ryder. She knew at some point he would be helping with the search. This was his and Marshall's battle and they both knew it. She gently stroked her granddaughter's hand. Fear had a grip on her heart.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Marshall walked into the office. "What do we have, people?"

Marshall noticed the team assembled in the conference room.

"The videos from the airport have come in and we are isolating pictures of Raph and Marta. We will forward them to every local, state and federal agency. The team you sent to the ranch is almost there. We'll know more when they arrive," the one inspector informed them.

Stan looked to Marshall.

"She won't be at the ranch. More than likely, Raph was used for a distraction since things didn't go the way she planned. Marta is manipulative and dangerous. She has spent enough time around hardened criminals to know all the tricks. She has to have several connections related to her late husband and son. She'll use them to get what she needs. The question will be where she relocates to. Marta is obsessed enough at getting my father that she won't leave without him. She's thinking I will be obsessed also, and that will weed me out for her to find. More than likely, she's already called for more people. I suggest we start looking at her old connections and what properties, connections and acquaintances that are in a five state radius. I'm guessing you already started financial background on Victoria Hernandez," Marshall cautioned

"Yes, while you and Mary were in the conference room," Stan reassured him.

"Have the police found anything on the car that was involved in the shooting?" Marshall knew they needed a starting point. There was a ton of information to go through, but without a specific direction it would be hard to narrow it down.

"One of the witnesses got the license plates. There is a BOLO out for it currently. So far no hits have come in. Raphael didn't know anything about who was involved. He's still being questioned repeatedly to see if there is something he remembers or to see if he's lying about anything," Stan replied.

"I don't think he is. I think he's not admitting to himself his mother is more than likely dead, but him coming to us tells me he knows it subconsciously. This time around he was blackmailed into it."

"Does Raph know where Marta was the last five years? If we can figure that out maybe we can find out who paid for things or how she got a hold of money. The surgical procedures she had done would have cost a fortune alone," Marshall was thinking out loud.

"I'll have Jake ask him and call us back." Stan headed toward his office.

"Where are the police reports and information from the shooting? It's the only tangible thing we have to work with at the moment," Marshall asked.

"You sure you want to look at that? Maybe you could work with running the financials."

"Stan, we have to start somewhere and that is the only thing we have information on. Maybe there's something we're missing," Marshall shrugged.

Stan went into the office and grabbed the file and handed it to Marshall.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Marta had vacated the ranch the second Raph was out of sight. She had been using Blaze's old friend, Jerome Clarkson, to get the things she needed since her return. She knew she couldn't stick with just one of her late husband's acquaintances or she'd be easy to trace. When she first left the country she had used Tony Luciano to get a new identity. She used Al Profaci to take care of supplying her with money, location and a plastic surgeon.

Jerome had several properties in the area and so did the other two men. She knew it would keep law enforcement busy for a little while. She wasn't sure how long before the cops tracked her down. Jerome had supplied her with several of his best men and they were looking for an opportunity to get Marshall Mann. They would contact their boss who would then call her. She needed to keep the law following several trails so she would have to use one of the her other contacts again pretty soon. Marta moved into a home in Los Lunas. She wanted to stay in New Mexico, and this was one of Jerome's properties. At least it was only a half hour from Albuquerque. Her phone rang and she answered it eagerly.

"Hello?"

"Your friend is under watch. He's at the office and the boys were thinking of meeting up with him at a beneficial location. They will need to know where to bring him for your meeting," Jerome informed her.

"I'll call you back with a time and location for the meeting. I have to make arrangements. Everything needs to be in working order. I hate when things get messed up," Marta replied.

"I hear you. I'll relay the message to our members."

The phone clicked and Marta kept thinking that soon things would be the way they were supposed to be. She would get her revenge for Colby. Ryder Mann would do anything to protect his son. If Marshall was hurt or killed in the process then so be it. It would honor her grandson, Rudy. Now she had to find a business or abandoned building for storing Marshall.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall was digging through the files on the shooting and had to stop when he hit the photos. Seeing the pictures of his daughter's wounds caused his heart rate to accelerate and his anger to grow. Taking a deep breath, his mind went back to some of the facts of Vance's shooting. It gave him an idea.

"Stan," Marshall called him over.

"Got a lead?" Stan questioned.

"No, but I had a thought. Marta was living and mooching off of Vance at the time of the events of the car bombing."

"Right," Stan said hesitatingly.

"So Damien and Mickey are locked up in the Florence Co. Federal Penitentiary correct?"

Stan smirked, seeing where this was going

"They were his right hand men and might know which of Blaze's associates Marta would work with," Stan liked that. "Patrick still works in Colorado. I'll send him to the prison and ask them."

Marshall was surprised; he thought they would be making the trip. "We're not going?"

"No, I doubt they would talk to you. You're the reason they're there and Vance is dead."

"You don't think they like me, Stan? Have I lost my touch?" Marshall teased.

Stan smiled. It was the first time he'd seen Marshall act like himself a little. He didn't expect much, at least not until Emily was out of danger, but at least the guilt trip wasn't showing through.

"I'll let you know what happens."

"Care if I go to lunch? I promised Mary I would stop by to see her and Brennan. Eating with them seems like a good idea. Brennan needs some type of normalcy right now," Marshall shrugged.

"Let me make the call and we can go," Stan stated firmly.

"Okay." Marshall knew arguing he didn't need an escort would be a moot point.


	5. Chapter 5

Mary had spent most of the most of the morning by Emily before she left her in the care of Elizabeth and Ryder. Jinx and she were on their way to see Brennan and Brandi. Her cell phone buzzed on the way to the room. She smiled when she saw who it was.

"Are you and Brennan interested in lunch with me?" Marshall asked.

"Always, where are you?"

"Stan and I just parked. Are you in Emily's room?"

"Nope, I'm on the way to Brandi's room to see Brennan and my sister. Your folks are with Emily."

"I'll meet you there. Any changes?"

"No but she's holding steady. They said she's doing well under the circumstances."

"Alright, I'll see you in a few." Marshall hung up.

Jinx looked at Mary. "Trouble?" she asked worriedly.

"A hot lunch date for me and Brennan," Mary smirked.

"How's Marshall holding up?" Jinx asked.

"He's playing tough guy. I'm worried about him. I don't know how much more of Marta's family he can take. Every single one of them has hurt a member of our family," Mary said angrily.

Jinx had to stop the smile she felt trying to tug at her lips. Since marrying Marshal, Mary had integrated herself into his family. She had always had an easier time talking to his family, but she was now more comfortable with being a part of a family. Jinx couldn't thank the Manns enough for the way Mary had grown.

"Well, it will work out. Everything works out in the end," Jinx tried to reassure her daughter.

They entered the room to hear a very energetic boy greet them.

"Mommy, Nana Jinx, babies!" Brennan said excitedly.

"How's my buddy?" Mary asked kissing the top of his head.

"I'm okay. Where's Daddy?" Brennan asked.

"Right here, little guy," Marshall said, picking Brennan up and giving him a hug.

"Hello, beautiful," he greeted Mary.

"Thanks, Marshall, I didn't know you were a fan," Brandi said from the bed.

"Cute, Squish," Mary said, rolling her eyes.

Marshall ignored the sisters and looked to his son. "You ready to have lunch?"

"Are you coming?" Brennan asked hopefully.

"Of course," Marshall answered quizzically. Why would Brennan think he wouldn't go with them?

"Yeah!" Brennan wrapped his arms around Marshall again.

"You ready, Mare?"

Mary watched the confusion play across Marshall's face when Brennan asked. She knew they would have a conversation later.

"Let's go to the cafeteria," Mary knew they weren't leaving the building.

"Daddy, can you stay afterwards?" Brennan asked hopefully.

Marshall felt like someone stabbed his heart with a knife. Brennan wanted him there and he knew he was going to disappoint him when he left to go back to work.

"Maybe for a little while. I have to go back with Grandpa Stan to work."

"Oh," Brennan lost his enthusiasm.

Marshall lifted Brennan's chin. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"I never see you anymore. Are you mad at me?" Brennan asked.

"Oh god, no." Marshall said in disbelief and sat in a seat with Brennan in his lap. "Brennan, I 'm not mad at you at all. You need to know that. I have to work so I can find the people who did this to Emily and Aunt Brandi. I love you, Brennan."

Mary felt her heart ache for Marshall. The tears filled his eyes as he heard the question he'd often wanted to ask his father. She placed a comforting hand on each of her boys. Marshall held Brennan tightly.

"I love you too, Daddy. Can we eat now? I'm hungry." Brennan asked.

"You bet we can," Marshall said, and ruffled his son's head while Mary placed a kiss on both their heads.

Lunch went well and Marshall paid extra close attention to Brennan. He was worried his son was getting the wrong message from him. As they walked back through the hall, Brennan saw Grandpa Stan and began to run to him.

"Grandpa Stan!" Brennan called out.

Stan spread his arms open widely and picked the boy up. Mary indicated for him to head into Brandi's room and to give her and Marshall a few minutes.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked grabbing Marshall's hand, stopping him.

"No. I promised myself I would never have a child ask me that question and it still happened. I thought he knew I wouldn't be angry with him, Mare. Where am I going wrong? I thought I was a good father," Marshall said, devastated.

"You _are _a good father. Marshall, he's insecure right now because of what happened to Emily. It's not you. You didn't do anything wrong. Brennan is still little and doesn't completely understand what is happening around him right now. You haven't done anything wrong. He's just off kilter from the shooting. He loves you and knows you love him. Stop blaming yourself." Mary let him pull her in tight and hold her for a few minutes. She knew he needed the added security.

"I want this over with, Mary," Marshall said firmly.

"Any leads?" Mary asked.

Marshall filled her in on what they knew so far. They went into Brandi's room, and then Marshall checked on Emily before leaving.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Marshall were driving back towards the Sunshine building when Stan's phone went off.

"McQueen."

"It's Patrick. They were more then willing to talk about Marta. She wasn't very popular with them. She turned to three associates of Blaze's. Tony Luciano, Al Profaci, and Jerome Clarkson. They all suspected Vance of killing Blaze."

"Good work, Patrick. Thank you."

"No problem. Tell Mann to keep his head down. The woman really wants his father."

Stan agreed and hung up. He told Marshall what Patrick had found out.

"Eleanor, it's Marshall. Can you check on all holdings, properties and information that you can find on Tony Luciano, Al Profaci, and Jerome Clarkson? They are the most likely people Marta is getting her resources from. Thanks, Eleanor."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Marta finally received a call back from Jerome. A week had passed by since the shooting and she was getting antsy.

"Our colleagues are wondering if the meeting location has been picked," Jerome asked.

"Yes, the location has been secured. I just need to know when they will be able to attend," Marta supplied the info.

"When would be a good time for you?" Jerome asked.

"Tomorrow, no later then the day after. The sooner we convene the sooner the main event can be scheduled." Marta heard Jerome asking a question.

"The meeting will take place tomorrow. They have to have a location for the drop off and specific details on what you want."

"Once they have the package have them call me and I'll give them the final details," Marta replied.

"On this number?" Jerome asked.

"Yes, this is my business phone." Marta confirmed.

"Contact will be made tomorrow."

Marta smiled as she hung up. Finally, revenge was at the door. Tomorrow all her suffering and planning would start to pay off.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall and Stan had spent the remainder of the night going over the information that was coming in on Blaze's former associates. The amount of property between the three men in the area was astounding. A lot of it had been bought up around the time Marta disappeared.

"They have been plotting this for awhile if the land purchases mean anything," Marshall stated, looking at Stan.

"Or they're looking at expanding and taking over the area that Vance used to have. It will make them more powerful," Stan reminded him. He could see the tiredness in Marshall's whole stature. "Why don't I take you home and you get some sleep. I'll pick you up in time for lunch with Mary and Brennan."

"It won't solve the problem," Marshall argued.

"No, but it will give you a clear head to work with. We're both running on an overload of coffee and sugar products. Mary will shoot me if I don't make sure you take care of yourself and I'm not willing to push my luck, especially with her being pregnant," Stan shivered. He learned when she was pregnant with Brennan to not mess with her. He had thought she could have a bad disposition on a good day, but with her system out of whack she was brutal when she worried. Marshall had gotten grazed by a bullet and she had ripped him a new one for hours.

Marshall chuckled slightly at Stan's shiver as he recalled the same event. Realizing that he was right in one sense, he reluctantly agreed.

"Can you take me to the hospital first. I could have dinner with Mary and Brennan before going home."

"That will work. The others will be working on it while we get a few hours of sleep and dinner. This is our priority and will be until we catch her once and for all," Stan promised.

Marshall called Mary to let her know the game plan as Stan and he were walking out to the car. They pulled up to a stoplight when they first noticed the navy truck that was following them.

"We have a tail. Two cars back. Joined us a block from the office," Marshall told Stan.

"Call for backup and I will take a scenic tour of the city," Stan said.

They hadn't gone a block when a black Hummer joined the tail. It was coming up behind them. Stan made his way through streets hoping to get to the Interstate. The further they went, the more vehicles seemed to come up around them.

"Stan, they are trying to box us in."

"I know, where's the back up?"

Marshall was about to answer him when a Hummer slammed into the SUV, hitting it in the back passenger side door. The Hummer that was behind them rammed into the back end of the SUV sending them into a spin. While the SUV was spinning the black truck hit them in the side causing their SUV to flip. It was the last thing Stan and Marshall remembered before everything went black.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was sitting by Emily's bedside when she first noticed the time. She looked at Ryder.

"I'm going to get Brennan for dinner with Marshall."

"How's he holding up?" Ryder asked worriedly.

"We had a little bit of a rough day with Brennan yesterday, but he'll be okay," Mary said, explaining what happened in the hallway.

"Did I damage Marshall permanently, Mary?" Ryder choked out.

Mary moved over to her father-in-law. "You didn't damage him, Ryder. He has insecurities associated with the past, and while you learn to deal with them they don't necessarily leave completely. It's like me with my father. I know Marshall won't abandon us on purpose, but a part of me will always remember how it feels to wonder. Not sure if that make sense or not."

"You've grown a lot in the last five years. I get what you're saying and I know we've gone over all of this before, but I still worry about how it affects Marshall. I know I hurt him and I don't think I'll ever be able to make that up to him."

"Marshall knows that you love and support him; that's all he needs. I think everyone is feeling a little raw with Marta being back. Yes, it will bring up those old feelings, but I also believe that we as a family will get through it. Once Emily gets weaned of the ventilator and Marshall can hold her again then his world will right itself."

Ryder smiled at Mary. "Have I ever told you how glad that I am that you figured out how you felt about Marshall? You have given him what he had been missing all these years. I'm grateful everyday that you are a part of this family."

"You're going to make me cry, and you know how I feel about that," Mary warned.

"You can blame it on the hormones," Ryder smirked, and was rewarded with a light punch to his arm.

Mary was about to leave the room when Eleanor entered. The look on her face spoke volumes.

"What's wrong? What happened to Marshall?" Mary couldn't keep the panic from her voice.

"There was an accident…a deliberate accident. Stan's being brought in, but he's unconscious. Marshall was with him when they left, but he wasn't at the accident site when the backup arrived. The SUV was rammed several times from the reports at the scene," Eleanor informed them. Her explanation was sketchy due to panic and worry.

Ryder stood up and forced Mary into the chair before she collapsed.

"Marta has Marshall. She has my Marshall," Mary said, shocked.

"We'll get him back, Mary. We _will _find him. Do you understand me? She is not taking another child from me," Ryder stated adamantly.

"Who's not taking a child from you?" Elizabeth asked, walking in unprepared. She looked at Mary's pale face and the worry on both Ryder and Eleanor's faces.

"Elizabeth," Ryder started.

"Don't tell me that _woman _has my son. She _can't_ have my son," Elizabeth cried.

"Honey…"

"Ryder, no. Don't tell me it's okay. Not if she has him. I want you to go to that office and help them find our son. His wife and children need him and we do too. I don't want anything but you bringing him back to us. Do you understand me?" Elizabeth demanded.

"You might not have to go looking for him," Eleanor started. All heads turned to her. "Raph mentioned that she wanted to offer a trade, Ryder for Marshall, when they were going to kidnap Emily. Marshall has never been her target, just a source for her to get to Ryder. We need to find her and get Marshall back without her getting Ryder."

"She can have me if it means getting my son back," Ryder stated.

"No, she can't. Marshall wouldn't be able to take that. These two children are going to get to know their father and their grandfather. She isn't getting another member of this family." Mary was determined about that.

"So where do we start?" Eleanor asked. "We have the list of properties the three associates own."

"How's Stan?" Mary asked knowing he was more up to date on everything.

"They expect him to be fine. He hit his head against the side of the window knocking him out. Once he wakes up he'll want answers and action," Eleanor informed them.

"We need to go to the office and start digging through the information. Once Stan comes to we can ask him what he knows," Mary said with her marshal voice.

"Small correction to that," Ryder added. "Eleanor and I will go back to the office. You are needed here with your children."

"Don't ask me to just sit here while Marshall is out there in her hands," Mary said heatedly.

"I'm not asking, Mary. Brennan is going to know something is up when his Dad doesn't show up for dinner. Your daughter needs you and her grandma's here to keep her company. Brennan will need you to go home with him and get some sleep. He's going to need the extra reassurance. While I know it's just digging through paperwork, you will want to do more. The second you have an idea where Marshall is, you're going to rush headfirst into a situation that could potentially cause you or the babies great harm. Marshall would never forgive us if that happened."

"Mary, I know you don't want to hear this, but he's right. You are needed here. When Stan wakes up they'll call us. We can keep you informed on what is happening, but you aren't going to be allowed to participate. Nobody will let you do that. While you may be scary on a normal basis, your husband is worse when you or his kids are in harm's way. I'm not dealing with Papa Bear when he's angry," Eleanor warned Mary. They had unleashed Papa Bear once and would never willingly do it again. It was so out of character for Marshall that it had scared all of them. They finally understood why Mary called him a secret badass.

"I need to help," Mary protested.

"Taking care of your children is helping," Elizabeth explained. "I know it's hard to be left behind, but Marshall will be more reassured and easier to deal with if he knows that you are safe with the kids. Nothing will give him more security than that."

Mary bit her lip and reluctantly nodded. She knew full well what it was like to have that security. Marshall has had to stay behind a couple of times with the kids, and she was happy with that knowledge. She didn't like it, and wouldn't like it, but she couldn't argue the point.

"Promise me that you will call me the second you have him." Mary looked at Ryder.

"I promise," Ryder said sincerely.

"What do I tell Brennan?" Mary asked out loud.

"Tell him Daddy loves him and will be home as soon as possible," Elizabeth stated.

"Mary, Eleanor and I are headed to the office. We need to start right away. You take care of yourself and my grandbabies." Ryder kissed her cheek before heading to his wife. He knew she would keep an eye on Mary.

Mary watched them leave. "Elizabeth, can you stay with Emily while I go talk to Brennan?"

"Of course." Elizabeth squeezed her hand as she walked by.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The men had taken Marshall out of the SUV and moved him into the trunk. They delivered him to the address their boss had given them. Pulling into the storage facility, they were met by the woman. She had them put him in a chair in one of the units and tie him up.

Marta looked at Marshall Mann. She was now one step away from what she wanted. He was injured, but nothing life threatening for now. How long he stayed that way depended on Ryder and what he was willing to do for his son. Now she had to send the message to the Marshals Service.

She typed the message up so it would be ready to go.

_Ryder Mann,_

_I have something important that belongs to you. I'm willing to make a trade with you. If the trade can be made within seventy-two hours your son will not be hurt. If not, every hour that passes a new pain will be inflicted upon him until you arrive at a predetermined location. I'll be in touch._

_M.S._

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary headed towards Brandi's room with a feeling of dread. She was not looking forward to telling her son his father wouldn't be joining them.

"Mommy! Daddy on his way?" Brennan asked, running up to Mary.

She held out her arms and held him tight. Brandi and Peter both looked at her strangely, knowing full well something was wrong.

"Sweetie, Daddy isn't going to be able to make it today," Mary said, trying not to choke up.

"Why, Mommy? He said he was coming for dinner, you said so," Brennan asked, confused.

"Daddy is busy at work and can't come here right now. He'll be here as soon as he can," Mary hugged him.

"Want Daddy now!" Brennan yelled at her.

"Brennan, I know this is hard, but he'll be here as soon as he can,' Mary tried again.

"No, he promised," Brennan was getting angrier by the second.

Mary was trying not to cry at this point. "Brennan, that is enough. You know that Daddy's job sometimes requires him to be gone. Daddy promised to come when he can, and he will. Why don't we see what kind of pie they have?"

Brennan knew Mommy was upset by the look on her face. "I'm sorry. I miss Daddy."

"I do too, sweetie," Mary picked him up and put him in her lap. Kissing his head she tried to comfort him.

Jinx knew something was wrong also, but she knew Mary wouldn't discuss it in front of her grandson. "Brennan, why don't you come with me and get something to eat? Mommy can meet us there in a few minutes."

Mary looked at Jinx as she reached for her son's hand. 'Thank you' she mouthed to her.

Brandi and Peter waited till Jinx had taken Brennan out of the room.

"What's really happening?" Brandi asked.

"Marshall was grabbed on the way to the hospital," Mary replied quickly.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Peter asked.

"No, we are working on finding Marta. The details will be tighter with security and you will stay under protection," Mary replied.

"What about you? Is there anything we can do for you?" Brandi asked. "I'm getting out of here tomorrow."

"Could you keep Brennan with you at the house during the day? We'll pick him up on the way home at night. I can't have him in the room with Emily."

"Not a problem. If you need anything else just let us know," Peter said.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Marshall came to with a throbbing head and numb arms. His vision was blurry, and he tried to clear it to remember what happened. As the memories quickly came back, Marshall searched for Stan. Not seeing him anywhere, he didn't know if he should be relieved or more worried.

The sound of a metal door opening pierced his ears before the saw the sunlight outside the area he was in and recognized it as a storage facility.

"Marshall Mann, welcome to you're new accommodations for awhile," Marta greeted, stepping into the individual storage unit she had him placed in.

"Marta Smith, what an unpleasant surprise," Marshall stated sarcastically.

"I'm hurt. I've been looking forward to this reunion for years. How's the little girl?" Marta knew he'd react to that and he didn't surprise her.

Marshall strained his arms trying to move them before looking up. His hands were cuffed to a metal beam she must have had inserted into the room. Looking back at her, he saw the smile and realized she wanted him to react. Forcing himself to let go of his anger, he stopped struggling with the restraints and glared at her.

"What do you want?" Marshall asked, already knowing the answer.

"Don't worry, Marshall, I'll let you go back to your precious family as soon as I have your father. It's his fault this mess started and it's well past time for him to pay," Marta responded.

"That's rich. Your drunken husband kills my sister in his excessive need to escape the hellish life of living with you and you blame my father. Maybe if you hadn't been such a pain to live with then he wouldn't have become an alcoholic. According to all his old friends, you are what pushed him over the edge. I can get that. A lifetime with you has to be worse then a lifetime in prison," Marshall remarked casually.

"You bastard!" Marta screamed at him while slapping him across the face.

Marshall felt the sting and then smiled at her. "The truth hurts doesn't it?"

Marta's face flared an angry red before she turned on her heels abruptly and shut the door. He could hear the tell tale signs of a lock being put into the metal latch. Now he could work on trying to find away out of his restraints.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan woke to a blinding headache and white walls. Hearing the steady beep of a heart monitor, he forced his eyes open. He looked around the room and saw no one occupied the bed next to his. Remembering the crash, he hit the call button for a nurse.

"Mr. McQueen. How are you feeling?" the nurse asked.

"Was another man brought in at the same time I was?" Stan asked ignoring the nurse's question.

"I'm not sure, that would have been the morning crew working on you," the nurse replied.

"I need to speak to Mary Mann. Her daughter is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit."

"I'll call over there and have them tell her you're awake."

Stan waited impatiently until Mary arrived.

"Stan," Mary looked at her boss.

"Where's Marshall?" Stan demanded. Seeing the look on her face he knew the answer. "I'm so sorry, Mary."

"It's not your fault, Stan. They blocked you in and flipped the SUV. Ryder and Eleanor are at the office going over all the information they have to see if they can figure out where Marta could've taken him. We're expecting her to contact Ryder at some point demanding an exchange."

"I'm getting out of here. I need to get back to the office," Stan started to get up.

"You have a concussion and need to be kept overnight for observation," Mary said softly.

"I'm not lying here while Marshall is out there in her clutches. I lost him, Mary. It was my responsibility to keep him safe. I need to get him back."

"No one blames you for this, Stan," Mary reminded him.

"Maybe not, but I can't look those kids in the eyes knowing Marta grabbed their father while he was with me. They trust me, and I don't ever want to break that trust."

Mary let the tear slide down her cheek while she kissed the top of Stan's head.

"It wouldn't happen, but I know how badly you want to help. I'll tell Eleanor and Ryder that you're coming. They will also be instructed to keep an eye on you. My kids need their Grandpa Stan."

"Mary, I'll bring him back. I promise you that I'll get Marshall back."

Stan knew this had to be tearing her up inside. Mary's used to being involved. Staying on the sidelines hoping they'll find Marshall while worrying about Emily and Brennan had to hurt more then he wanted to imagine.


	6. Chapter 6

Emily had been trached that morning. They were hoping to begin weaning her off the ventilator soon, and stated it would help with the procedure. Mary was really wishing Marshall was here and could explain it to her. She had been rotating spending nights with Emily and time with Brennan. Elizabeth and Jinx had been filling in when she wasn't there.

Things had been rough without Marshall. Brennan was more emotional and then would become extremely subdued. Elizabeth and Mary were worried. Mary finally had a small glimpse of what Ryder and Elizabeth had to deal with when Marshall lost Emily. Elizabeth and she were both trying to get him to open up to them. Mary was starting to feel overwhelmed. Her worries for Marshall grew every second and both her kids were hurting and she couldn't do anything for them but be there, but she couldn't be in both places at one time. She was tired and Elizabeth was about to bench her. Her mother-in-law was one of the kindest people she had ever met, but when she got in mother mode, heaven help you if you crossed her. Mary would never admit it to anyone, but the woman could be down right scary when she was worried about her family.

Mary didn't realize she was pacing the hospital room until Eleanor blocked her path.

"I think Marshall's bad habit is rubbing off on you," Eleanor stated sternly.

"What?" Mary snapped.

"Pacing. It used to drive you nuts when Marshall did it when his mother was shot. You never used to do it. Bang your head on the desk, get more irritable then normal or just snap at everyone yes, but pace, no."

"What's your point?"

"Nothing, really, just trying to get you to stop briefly," Eleanor shrugged.

"What's new with the case?" Mary asked.

"We have checked the homes they have purchased and are working our way through businesses," Eleanor said.

Mary rubbed her forehead, trying to alleviate the headache she felt coming on. They were no closer to finding Marshall.

"How many are there? How much longer is it going to take? She's not afraid to hurt him. I need to be out there looking for him, I need to be here for Emily, and I need to be with Brennan. Oh yeah, and somewhere in between all of that I'm suppose to take it easy for the twins. Can someone tell me how I'm supposed to do all of that when we don't have a clue where my husband is? The only thing we know is that evil witch has him," Mary's voice continued to rise in volume and pitch.

Elizabeth walked in during the tirade. She had wondered how long it would take before Mary broke.

"You have to trust Ryder, Stan, and the other marshals to find him. You have to trust in Marshall to hang on for you and the kids. He won't leave you, Mary," Elizabeth said as she had Mary sit down. "For you and the babies you need to stop holding in the pain. No one will think any less of you if you cry. With everything going on it's okay for you to not be strong.

Eleanor left the room and made sure no one else entered. She knew Elizabeth was right and that Mary would only allow that to happen in front of her.

"Stop keeping it inside. Let me be strong for you. I promise when it finally catches up to me, you can be the shoulder I lean on," Elizabeth said calmly.

Mary gave a small chuckle that turned into a sob. Her shoulders shook and she finally whispered. "I need Marshall. I'm not whole without him, Elizabeth."

"Marshall isn't whole without you either," Elizabeth consoled her.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta had sent the letter to a friend of a friend who forwarded it to the Wyoming Marshals Service. She doubted Ryder was still there, but they would know where he was relocated to. She hadn't even considered the possibility he had stayed in the area; knowing Marshall had been relocated after her grandson was killed she assumed it was standard procedure when your life had been threatened.

The letter should arrive today. She figured within the next day or two it would be sent. It was time to take another trip to the storage facility. Marshall hadn't been given any food or water after his comment the other day and she couldn't afford to let him dehydrate or die before his father showed up.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Caroline had been sitting at her desk when the mail arrived. She picked it up and opened it immediately. Ryder had cautioned them if anything arrived to open it and call him. If the initials on the bottom were who she thought they were; she knew things were about to get bad for her boss. She hadn't forgotten her kidnapping at the church parking lot at the hands of Marta's son's henchmen.

"Mann."

"Ryder, it's Caroline. A letter arrived addressed to you. It's signed with the initials M.S. and threatens Marshall."

"Can you fax it to me right away?" Ryder read her the fax number.

"It's on the way. If there is anything that I can do for you, please let me know," Caroline stated sincerely.

"Thank you. If anything else comes in let me know." Ryder hung up as Eleanor entered the office and brought the fax over. "Well?" Ryder knew she would look at it.

"You in exchange for Marshall," Eleanor informed them of the rest.

"If we don't find him before she gives us the time and location, we do the exchange. I don't want her killing another child of mine. I need to talk to Mary and Elizabeth. They need to know what's happening." Ryder would do whatever was necessary to bring his son back to Mary and his grandchildren.

"I'll call the director and see if she can get us more man power. Seventy-two hours on the staff we currently have isn't anywhere near enough. We need local, state and federal agents to get through all of these locations." Stan headed into his office after sending a detail with Ryder to the hospital.

Eleanor waited until Stan walked out. "Well?"

"We're getting some help from Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona. Dershowitz is rounding up volunteers while the director pulls strings to get us more help. We should have a butt load of help if they have their way. I don't want this coming down to an exchange. Those usually don't go very well." Stan rubbed his hand over his head.

"What do you need me to do?" Eleanor questioned.

"First, let's see if we can eliminate any of the businesses. If they are functioning places then I doubt they would be hiding him there. Too much chance he could find a way to call out for help. She shouldn't be looking for a place that's visible for others to see what's going on. Break the remaining into places people would expect cars to go in and out of. Businesses not open yet would be the priority. The question is, how close to Albuquerque is she? She can't be that far away."

"I'll divide them up and contact some of my friends and see if they've had any under surveillance lately." Eleanor went back to work while Stan kept digging through financials looking for something that stuck out.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall was still working on his ropes. His arms were pretty much numb at this point and he could tell it was getting late out. The unit was hotter during the day when the sun was out. He could feel the temperature drop as night came. Marta hadn't been back since he pissed her off. He needed to know what was happening and sent a silent prayer up for his family. Mary would never forgive him if he didn't get back in one piece.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sliding sound of the door.

"Miss me already?" Marshall asked sarcastically.

Marta walked over while opening a bottle of water. "Thought you might be thirsty. Can't have anything happening to you in the next seventy two hours now can we?"

"Why not?" Marshall asked, intrigued.

"Why, Daddy will exchange his life for his only remaining child. Can't have his two grandchildren being raised without their father, can we. I sincerely doubt he would want you to miss the birth of your other two children," Marta said, casually circling her prey. She lifted the bottle to his mouth. "Drink," she demanded.

"If I refuse?" Marshall asked.

"You'll drink it anyway."

"I think I'll pass on that. Why don't you have some first?" Marshall didn't like the way she smiled when she said it.

"Boys," she called out, and three burly men entered the unit and forced Marshall to drink the water.

Marshall had fought the three men as well as he could, but they got the upper hand and forced his mouth open. The room started to get blurry before he passed out.

"Boys, untie his hands and then cuff one to the chair. He needs one to eat and drink with. We need him alive until his father arrives."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ryder walked into the hospital with the men from his detail. He headed towards Emily's room, assuming that was where Mary and Elizabeth would be. He was about to enter when he saw Mary walking with Brennan and Peter.

"Grandpa!" Brennan called out, running towards him.

"Hey, little guy," Ryder picked up his grandson and gave him a huge hug.

"Ryder?" Mary asked trying to keep the worry from her voice.

Peter noticed the way the two were looking at each other. "Brennan, why don't we head back to the house while Grandpa and Mommy talk?"

"Thank you," Mary spoke to Peter.

"Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" Ryder asked. He would need to talk to his wife next.

"Why do I get a feeling that I'm not going to like this?" Mary asked, stopping to see if they could use an unoccupied room.

They headed into the room.

"Now what's going on?" Mary demanded.

Ryder filled her in on what had transpired earlier.

"I don't like it. Exchanges don't bode well for either of you. You haven't told Elizabeth yet have you?" Mary was starting to put the pieces together.

"Not yet," Ryder admitted.

"Marshall isn't going to like this either. If something happens to you, he will blame himself. He has enough guilt to carry already. There has to be a better way to handle this," Mary insisted.

"Mary, if we can't find him then I'm going through with the exchange. We'll try to set up a way to get us both out of it. I know you know all of this. I will not let her take Marshall away from his mother, you or his children. I would rather sacrifice myself then to lose another child. I can't go through that again. I love my son and will do anything necessary to get him home," Ryder insisted.

"I want in on the planning if it happens. Between Stan, you, and me we can come up with a plan that works."

"Mary, I don't think that is a good idea," Ryder was stopped short.

"I don't give a damn. I don't think anything about the exchange will go well. I know I can't go to the exchange, but I will sit in on the planning. Nothing anyone can say or do will change that."

Ryder knew from the determined look on her face this was not an option. "I'll let Stan know what you want. I still don't like it, but as long as you guarantee me that you will _not _go to the exchange then I'm willing to compromise." Ryder knew she needed to feel useful in helping Marshall.

"I'll send Elizabeth out. You sure you don't need back up?" Mary asked.

"I know she's in full mama bear mode, but no, I can handle this. It won't be pleasant and she won't be happy, but she knows if it brings Marshall home there isn't a choice," Ryder said determinedly.

"I'll go get her," Mary leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I know that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for your son, but you better not die on us either. I told you when the car bomb exploded that we need you, and that still holds true. We all need you."

Ryder placed a kiss on Mary's forehead. "I'll try not to, but if it means bringing Marshall home then it's something I'm willing to do. You promise me that if I don't make it back that Marshall knows that I don't blame him and that it wasn't his fault. This is my choice."

Mary went into Emily's room, "How's she doing?"

Elizabeth turned and smiled, but it faded when she saw the look in Mary's eyes. Something was up.

"She's fine. What's wrong?"

"Ryder needs to talk to you. He's two rooms down," Mary stated more calmly then she felt.

"I'll be back." Elizabeth kissed Emily's forehead before heading out. Fear gripped her heart. She entered the room wearily.

"Ryder Mann, what is going on and don't tell me everything is fine," Elizabeth warned.

Ryder explained to his wife what was going on and he saw her face crumble.

"Elizabeth, we aren't giving up, but I have to do this."

"I know, but I don't like it. Not one bit," Elizabeth said as Ryder wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried.

"I'd rather die then bury another child. It's worth it to me. I've had a full life and the only regrets I have are the ones from after Emily died. I know that you and Marshall would say that I didn't fail either of you, but I still feel like I did. If we don't save our son, I will have failed. I can't do that," he whispered into her ear.

"Ryder Mann, you need to let go of what happened with Emily. While I understand your need to protect our son and do everything to get him back, I need you to promise me that you will both come back. Marshall, Mary our grandkids and I need you. You have filled so many shoes over the years, but your work isn't done. Promise me you'll come home," Elizabeth demanded.

"I already promised Mary that I would try and I meant it. I'll always return to you if the opportunity presents itself. I love you, Elizabeth Rachel Mann."

"I love you too, Ryder, now go find our son. Bring both of you home safely. And make sure Mary doesn't do anything drastic to get our son back."

"I already made her promise she wouldn't do anything that she shouldn't." Ryder knew they both were worried Mary would show up at the area for the exchange if it happened.

"Be safe." Elizabeth held onto him tighter before letting him go. She never heard Mary walk up behind her until she felt her hand on her shoulder. Turning around,] she spoke with a confidence she didn't really feel. "They'll both come home to us."

Mary nodded and let Elizabeth shed the tears she needed to release.

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Marshall came to and tried to shake the fuzziness from his head. He had worried there was something wrong with the water when Marta insisted he drink it. His arms were no longer numb, and he noticed some food and unopened water in front of him. His left arm was handcuffed to the chair while his other arm was free. Marshall liked that it gave him a better opportunity to free himself.

Reaching down, he began to reach for the food and water. If he was going to get out of here he would need to keep himself fed and hydrated. Getting loose would be the easy part. Finding a way out of here would be the complicated part.

He ate hesitantly; worried that something was in his food, but knowing he wouldn't know until after he ate it. After drinking the water, he began working on freeing his cuffed hand. His first attempt at breaking it free by hitting it as hard as possible on the chair several times failed. It was then he remembered that when he and Stan were going over the paperwork, he put the paperclip in his pocket. Reaching into his pocket with his free hand he pulled it out. Using his fingers and his teeth he straightened it to the position he needed. Turning the paperclip clockwise he managed to release the first lock. Then he turned it counterclockwise to release the second lock. Now that he was free of the cuffs he began to check the storage unit for a way out.

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Ryder arrived back at the Sunshine Building. He saw Stan and Eleanor bent over the table going through paperwork.

"Find anything?"

"We're looking at the businesses and sorting through the most likely places by location and isolation. Marta needs to have him somewhere that won't draw attention and can gain easy access. I'm thinking the business would be closed or just getting ready to open it. We narrowed the list down to about thirty places. The police have not seen anyone fitting Marta's description at the places they are staking out. We have old diners, warehouses, storage units, hotels, and office space. The office spaces are too visible as they are all in heavy traffic areas," Stan relayed what they were thinking.

"I'm guessing we are leaning towards the warehouses, diners, and storage units," Ryder surmised.

"I'm leaning more towards the warehouses and storage units. Traffic coming in and out of those places wouldn't cause as much notice. The diners are my third choice, but are still usually more open. They are going to want to keep visibility to a minimum."

"So where do we start?" Ryder asked.

"Let's split the teams up and see if there is any activity going in and out of the most likely spots. We need evidence in order to get the search warrant," Stan reminded.

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Marshall had checked to see if there was an electronic lock, but then remembered he had heard the lock and knew it was mechanical.

"Damn it," he cursed in frustration.

Grabbing the chair he moved it towards the track for the door. Undoing his belt, he grabbed the buckle and removed it. Climbing onto the chair, he reached up and felt for the screw on the bracket holding the door onto the frame. This was going to take hours, but from the food supply he should have enough to last through tomorrow afternoon. Which he hoped that meant Marta hadn't planned on returning until then. That should give him plenty of time to get out of here.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary sat next to Emily trying to hum to her the song Marshall sang to her. Elizabeth had gone to pick up Brennan and bring him back to their house. They wanted him to feel secure, and they knew his house and his own room would give him that.

"Daddy will be back soon, sweetie, and he can sing you your song," Mary said, lightly brushing back a blonde curl that had fallen onto Emily's face.

Ryder walked into the room and saw Mary sitting by the bed.

"How's my princess?" Ryder asked softly, causing Mary to startle.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Stan is getting some teams set up to watch the various facilities. He wanted us to rest up since we'd been working all day. I wanted to see my granddaughter, and you could use a night in a regular bed. It's already been cleared with the hospital staff. Stan pulled a few strings, plus they were pretty much okay with it since there are already marshals watching her," Ryder shrugged.

"Good, hopefully one of the teams will see Marta. Emily needs her Daddy back," Mary said. "I'm fine, but you can join me if you'd like. I don't mind the company."

"Stan's waiting for you in the hallway. Mary, you have circles under your eyes and you need to rest up if you're going to help us," Ryder reminded. He knew it was a cheap shot, but it was the one he knew she couldn't refuse.

"That's low, Ryder. You know that, too," Mary huffed at him.

"You still adore me and you know it," Ryder knowingly.

Mary kissed his cheek. "You're lucky I like you. I'll be back first thing in the morning. Get some sleep yourself." Mary was too tired to even argue.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall finally got the one bracket unscrewed and the door caved in on the one side. Pulling it back, he carefully looked out to make sure no one was there. Seeing no one he stepped out into the night air.

Finding the entrance gate, he saw it had a motion sensor on the inside and a key punch on the outside. Triggering the sensor, he moved forward and out of the storage facility.

Checking his person, he noticed that he still had his badge, but no gun or cell phone. Making his way onto a main street, he walked on the side until he saw a cab coming his way. Grabbing his badge, he flagged it down.

Marshall had the cab take him to the hospital. He needed to see Emily and Mary. He could call Stan from there. Besides, they would all insist he get checked over.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary arrived at the house and found Elizabeth and Brennan asleep in the guest bedroom. Not feeling like lying down, she headed into the living room where she put in the video of their wedding and played with the ring on her finger. The tears began to streak down her face. She froze the screen on Marshall when he had the smile on his face and love in his eyes at his first sight of her in the gown. It was pure Marshall.

Elizabeth had heard a noise coming from the living room and got up to investigate it. What she saw in the living room both broke her heart and scared her. She didn't know which approach to take.

Moving towards the couch Mary was sitting on; she gently spoke as she sat, "Mary?"

"Ryder wanted to spend some time with Emily," Mary answered the unspoken question.

Elizabeth let that comfort her when she noticed what Mary had frozen on the screen.

"I hadn't seen him that happy since before Emily was killed. You've given me my son back," Elizabeth said as she stared at her son's face.

"He's taught me so much more. You all have. I never knew what a mostly normal family was like. I know that you had been through a lot, and I'm not really sure what normal really means, but I found a place that I can call home with Marshall and the kids. When Brennan was born I was so excited. I had brought a little Marshall into this world. I never thought I would be happy to have a child. It was something I never thought would be me. I was worried if I had children I would turn them into the damaged goods I had been before Marshall entered into my life. I'm scared, Elizabeth. The kind of scared that made me realize I loved him in the first place," Mary confessed.

"I know. I'm worried it will all boil down to an exchange, and while I may not be in law enforcement, I know how bad things can go for both of them. The one thing I do know is that Marshall and Ryder are both strong, confident men that would do anything for the other to make sure they come home. I also have confidence in all of your planning skills combined to cover the aspects of the operation. Not a single one of you would do anything less than bring them home as safely as possible. I know they may have injuries, but they've both survived them before and they have many reasons to survive them now. Everything will work out just fine. Trust yourself, Marshall, Ryder and Stan. All of you are very good at what you do," Elizabeth reminded her.

"Where were you when I was growing up?" Mary chuckled slightly.

"You need to get your rest. Brennan will be thrilled to see you in the morning." Elizabeth smiled and turned off the wedding video.

"Thank you, Elizabeth." Mary said sincerely.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall saw the look of surprise on the marshal detail's face as he came closer.

"Travis, can you call Stan for me?" Marshall asked. He knew Mary would be sending him to be checked over, but for now he just wanted to see her.

To his shock, when he rounded the corner, he saw his Dad sitting next to Emily.

"Dad, is Mary okay?" Marshall asked, puzzled.

Ryder froze for a second as he heard the voice then he whipped his head around to confirm what he heard.

"Marshall?" Ryder got up immediately and moved towards his son. He pulled him in for a hug before even thinking to answer the question.

"Dad?" Marshall was concerned.

"Your wife is okay. She'll be much better shortly. I sent her home to get a decent night's rest," Ryder answered the unspoken question. "You need to get looked over." Ryder had noted the dry blood on his son's head and the raw skin on his arm as he stepped backwards. "I suppose you want to wait for Stan to tell me what happened." Ryder watched Marshall nod.

"I need to see Emily, Mary and Brennan first," Marshall stated.

Ryder stopped him for a second. "Marshall, they need to see you too, but no offense, not the way you look right now. It will not ease their minds."

It finally registered with Marshall that he had be a mess, between the accident and his time in the storage unit.

Ryder knew the second it registered. "Let's get you checked over, and with any luck, showered. I'll call Mary and let her know."

"I'll head over there when I'm done. Let her sleep. She needs it."

Ryder only agreed because he knew his son was right. He had one of the detail move into Emily's room while he took Marshall to the E.R. He wanted him thoroughly checked over. Stan entered the E.R. while they were checking Marshall out.

"Ryder, where is he?" Stan asked.

"They are examining him right now. He looks a little worse for the wear and was a little slow to catch on, but I'm sure that's normal with everything that he's been through," Ryder shrugged.

"Where's Mary?" Stan asked, surprised she wasn't here.

"Home sleeping. I sent her there and Marshall wanted her to get her rest. I hate to agree, but she's been pushing herself too hard. He'll want to go see her as soon as possible."

"I'll get him there and bring extra security. I highly doubt that Marta let him go, and when she finds out he's missing she won't be happy," Stan cautioned.

Before they could continue, Marshall's doctor came out.

"How's my son?" Ryder asked immediately.

"Under the circumstances, he's fine. We ran a blood work up because he mentioned she drugged him with something and we wanted to make sure there's nothing else to be concerned about. We put in a few stitches to close the cut on his head. He'll need some ointment for the skin he lost on his wrist and hands. His body has several bruises, but no signs of internal bleeding. His ribs are also bruised. Overall, he's doing well. He should be out shortly. We let him use one of the showers to get cleaned up."

"Thank you," both Stan and Ryder said at the same time.

The men waited impatiently for Marshall to emerge, both standing quickly as the tall man appeared.

"Marshall, I know you want nothing more then to see Emily and then go home to Mary and Brennan, but I need everything you have," Stan told him as Marshall came over to them.

Marshall gave him the information that he knew, and Stan put in a call to the director in order to get the search warrant on the location. He then called the team at the office and told them the name and location of the storage facility. Stan started to walk away to make another call when Marshall stopped him.

"Stan, I wouldn't rule out the fact that she's using multiple sources to help her plot. The first time I came to she was alone with me and the next time there were several burly guys helping her. Something was odd about it, but I can't put my finger on it at the moment," Marshall shrugged.

"Let me make a couple of calls and then I'll drive you home," Stan waited to make sure it was agreeable. He wanted nothing more than to take him home now and seal him up somewhere, but he knew full well it wouldn't happen with that woman out there.

"I'm going to see Emily," Marshall indicated to Stan. "Dad, how is she really?"

"According to your wife and mother, she's been improving enough to trach her and start weaning her off the ventilator. If all goes well, then in five to seven days she will be put onto a trach collar and in three to four days after that she should be on room air. Tomorrow they are going to sit her up in a little wagon for a few hours," Ryder stated, trying to recall all the details they told him.

Marshall nodded solemnly. His little girl shouldn't have to be going through this because of that woman. It made him angry, but he suppressed it as he headed in by Emily. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead while reaching for her small hand.

"I'm here, Emily. Daddy's back. I hear you've been doing well. I'm so proud of you, Emily. You're just like Mommy; a fighter. Daddy needs you to keep fighting, Emmy bear," Marshall couldn't say anymore as he choked up.

Ryder placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She's like both of you. Emily is strong and she'll be fine. Now, you need to go home and see your wife and son. I do have to warn you though, your mother will smother you like you were a kid," Ryder teased, trying to get his son to relax. He knew it was hard with Marta still out there, but Brennan would pick up on the tenseness. Kids always seemed to know when something is wrong with their parents.

Marshall nodded before kissing Emily on the cheek and forehead. "I love you, Emily. I'll see you tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

Elizabeth woke to the creaking of the front door opening. Grabbing her cell phone and Brennan's baseball bat, she made her way toward the living room. Her hands tightly gripped the bat as she turned the corner, prepared to swing at the intruder until she heard two familiar voices.

"Marshall?" Elizabeth asked.

"Kind of early for batting practice isn't it, Mom?" Marshall teased her.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" The words flew out of her mouth as Elizabeth hugged her son. "My sweet baby boy," she said, kissing his cheek.

"I'm okay, Mom." Marshall said. "Are Mary and Brennan sleeping?"

"Yes, you know the only time your wife would sleep through this is the last trimester of her pregnancy. She sleeps like the dead then." Elizabeth noticed Stan and turned to him to express her gratitude.

"Thank you, Stan."

Stan shook his head. "Not my doing. Marshall got out all on his own."

Elizabeth looked confused.

"I'll explain in the morning. Mary will want to know about it also," Marshall shrugged.

"Okay, your son is in the guest room," Elizabeth told him softly as he headed down the hall.

Marshall entered the guest room and found his son curled up. He could imagine Brennan had been clinging onto Grandma Mann. Walking over, he kissed him on the cheek while pulling the blanket up around him.

"Goodnight, buddy." Marshall whispered softly before heading in by Mary.

Marshall had a strong desire to wake Mary up as he saw her lying there, but he knew she needed her sleep. She didn't even stir while he changed and crawled into the bed. Laying his head on her shoulder while throwing his arm protectively over her stomach, he drifted off to sleep.

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Marta drove to the storage facility first thing in the morning. Her original plan was to let Marshall stew for a couple of days, but she wanted him to suffer. As far as she was concerned, he hadn't been through enough to make up for all his family had taken from her. While she ultimately wanted revenge on Ryder, she felt the need to play with his son's emotions. It would give Marshall a taste of the pain he had given Vance.

Driving up to the storage unit, she saw the door caved in on one side and let out a piercing scream. Quickly getting out of the vehicle, she confirmed Marshall had escaped.

"You will pay for your escape, Marshall Mann!" Marta ranted into the morning air. Cursing, she kicked the car door ferociously before yanking it open. Slamming her fist into the steering wheel, she continued to curse Marshall as she floored the car out of the facility.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary woke to the sunlight streaking into the bedroom. She felt a weight on her shoulder and an arm on her stomach. She was thinking Brennan had snuck in sometime during the night, but then she realized the arm and head were too big to be her son's.

Quickly turning her head, she smiled in delight. Gently she stroked her thumb up and down Marshall's cheek. She went to run her fingers through his hair, but stopped when she felt stitches. Gently she lifted his head off her shoulder, and was about to put it on the pillow so she could inspect him when she saw his eyes flutter open.

"Mare?" Marshall asked.

"Hey, cowboy," she whispered softly.

"Hey, beautiful." Marshall replied.

Mary gently moved his face to the side. "What did the doctor say?"

"I'm fine. Bruised but not broken," he smirked.

"What happened, Marshall?"

Marshall filled Mary in on the details.

Mary smiled before capturing his lips for a passionate kiss. Words couldn't begin to describe how happy she was that he was home. She decided to show him the only other way she knew how.

"You better be careful, Mrs. Mann, this is what led to your current condition," Marshall teased happily.

"No, if you recall our discussion in Emily's room, I believe your cute behind in tight denim jeans on a horse was what led us to this," Mary said, gently touching her swollen stomach.

Marshall reached up and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I love you."

"Are you about to get mushy on a horny pregnant woman?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mare…"

Mary cut him off by placing fingers over his mouth. "I know you love me and the kids, Marshall. I was scared, I'll admit. We can have a serious discussion later about what happened. Right now I need you to love me."

"If you insist," Marshall said huskily as he pulled her mouth back down to his. "Just watch the ribs."

They made love slowly and carefully, until they both lay exhausted and gasping for breath. Mary wondered at their silent communication. Their ability to sense what the other needed; touches and caresses that only heightened desire over the years.

"We should probably get up and see our son before going to the hospital," Marshall said, linking his fingers with Mary's.

"I will get up shortly, while you're going to sleep some more," Mary lectured. "You have bags under your bags, and you're injured and sore. Not just the good kind of sore either."

Marshall occasionally hated that they knew each other so well. He was about to argue that he was fine, but Mary cut him off immediately, by kissing him.

"Mare, they are going to sit Emily up in a wagon today. We need to be there for her. Brennan hasn't seen me in two days. His world is already tilted. I need to see him," Marshall pleaded when she'd finished kissing him.

"You will, after you've slept for a few more hours. I know Brennan's been upset, I've been with him. You won't be any good if you collapse from exhaustion. How do you think seeing that would make him feel?" Mary knew she had won the argument by the look of his eyes.

"I don't like it," Marshall said.

"I know. You have to take care of yourself too. Now close your eyes and sleep." Mary stayed in bed stroking his hair until sleep claimed him.

Elizabeth turned to see Mary walk into the kitchen with a smile on her face. "How's my son?"

"Sound asleep," Mary informed her, watching her make breakfast.

Brennan looked up, his eyes full of surprise. "Daddy's here?" He jumped off the chair and Mary stopped him before he could leave the room.

"We'll go see Daddy for a few minutes. If he's awake, you can tell him Grandma made breakfast for him," Mary said.

"Let's go, Mommy," Brennan said eagerly.

Mary smiled and let her son tug her down the hallway to see his father. They opened the door to see Marshall turn his head towards it. Brennan quickly hugged Mary, before entering the room.

"Does Daddy get a hug?" Marshall asked getting out of bed.

"Daddy!" Brennan ran to his father. Marshall picked him up, while casting Mary a questioning glance.

Mary shook her head. It was the first real smile she had seen on Brennan's face since Marshall had lunch with them.

"Missed you, Daddy," Brennan said softy.

"Missed you too, buddy," Marshall said, holding Brennan tightly.

Mary watched her boys talking for a few minutes, before clearing her throat.

"Why don't we all join Grandma in the kitchen?" Mary suggested.

"So what's for breakfast?" Marshall asked Brennan.

"Grandma cooked pancakes, bacon and eggs, since you were home," Brennan said.

Marshall kissed his Mom on the cheek, as they entered the kitchen. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. Sit down and eat before we start the day." Elizabeth smiled at father and son.

"Are you going away again, Daddy?" Brennan asked sadly.

"I'm going to go to the hospital later to see Emily," Marshall said.

"After you eat?" Brennan asked.

"No, I thought you and I could watch some cartoons while Mommy and Grandma get ready to go," Marshall said.

"What are you trying to say?" Mary asked.

"That it will take a couple of hours by the time things are all settled and we're ready to go." Marshall winked at Mary.

"Yeah, Mommy you move slow with the babies." Brennan agreed.

Marshall tried to stifle a laugh as Mary glared evilly at him.

"Why don't you get dressed and meet me by the TV?" Marshall said, and Brennan eagerly agreed.

"You know the only reason I don't shoot you is it would upset our children, and you have a lot of diaper duty in your foreseeable future," Mary admonished.

"It's worth it," Marshall smiled.

"I don't know who the bigger kid is. Thanks, he needed to spend time with you. I'll get ready and meet you on the couch." Mary kissed Marshall before leaving the room.

"How bad has it been?" Marshall asked his Mom.

"Growing pains. Your son is you. Think the chicken pox, and I'll try to take my time and see what I can do for the next two hours." Elizabeth shook her head. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Marshall and Mary walked into the hospital just before the nurses were going to move Emily into the little wagon.

"Dad," Marshall greeted as he and Mary entered Emily's room.

"Way to go, Emily." Marshall smiled as Emily sat up in the wagon.

Mary entwined her hands with Marshall's as they both moved in front of Emily.

Mary kissed Emily on the cheek, while Marshall beamed in pride at his daughter.

Emily reached her hands up to be held. Marshall picked her up, as the nurse suggested they may want to take her for a short walk down the hallway.

"Really?" Mary asked. The nurse nodded.

"Emily, let's go for a walk," Marshall said. He and Mary both took a hand and proceeded into the hallway.

Emily's eyes lit up as she saw the colorfully painted walls. Mary and Marshall chuckled as she waved at everyone she saw in the hallway. Part way back, they could tell she was tiring. Finally Emily just lifted her hands again. Marshall went to pick her up, but was cut off by Mary.

"My turn," Mary smiled as Emily leaned against her shoulder.

Marshall enjoyed the smiles that lit up both his girls' faces. He took Emily from Mary and placed her back into the crib. They both reached for a hand as Marshall read Emily a story, until she fell asleep.

"Thank you for staying with Emily last night and sending Marshall home. A call would've been nice." Mary reminded Ryder as she moved closer to him.

"Marshall asked me not too. He didn't want to wake you up, and you definitely needed some sleep. How's my grandson? Heard he's been a little moody," Ryder smirked.

"Was Marshall really like that when he was younger?" Mary was curious if Elizabeth was trying to reassure her or was telling the truth.

"Oh yeah, he wasn't always the nice one. He didn't like feeling left out, especially if I had been gone. As he got older it became easier. It was a matter of getting used to it." Ryder smiled at the memory.

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Stan and the team had gone to the storage facility after getting a search warrant. They hadn't found any sign of Marta, just the chair and the partially caved in door that Marshall described in his statement. The forensic team began to go over the unit.

Stan called Eleanor. "So, which of the associates does this storage unit belong to?"

"Al Profaci. We are having the New Jersey office bring him in for questioning. He handled the east coast while Blaze worked the south," Eleanor replied.

"Alright, the crime scene investigators are going through the storage unit now. With any luck they'll find something," Stan replied.

"How's Marshall?" Eleanor asked.

"Okay, I had him take the day off. Marshall needs to spend some time with his family."

"He'll be in first thing tomorrow morning," Eleanor cautioned.

"I know he'll keep going until he drops after today. Marta needs to be found. She's more than likely furious with the fact that Marshall escaped. Who knows what her mindset is now. That worries me more than anything else at the moment. We have no way of knowing how or who she'll lash out at, because of Marshall's escape. While Ryder is her main objective, I have a feeling Marshall has moved up on her expendable list. I need to find out how easy it would be to move Emily. The hospital leaves them vulnerable. I've increased security at the hospital, but I need you to get photos of all the heavy hitters Blaze's associates' use. I need to know who we're looking for. When we have them, circulate them out to the local L.E.O.'s, airports, train stations, and bus stations. I want any one of them coming into town identified as soon as possible."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta had called in several favors in order to obtain the services of several hit men that worked for Blaze's former associates. She wanted Ryder Mann dead and she wasn't in the mood for playing nice anymore. If she killed Marshall Mann it would cause Ryder to suffer more.

Esau David and Dirk McKinley were the first to show up. They helped Blaze in the past, although they were Al's men. Marta knew Marshall's daughter was still in the hospital. It was the only location she could assure them that he would show up.

Esau and Dirk sat in front of the mahogany desk Marta used. Carefully, she laid out photos of all the players and explained who each of them were.

"Marshall Mann is the target uless you see his father," Esau and Dirk nodded as she pointed to Marshall's photo. "This is his wife, daughter, son, parents, mother-in law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, boss and the admin for their office. Security has probably been increased. I don't care how you get Marshall. Be careful, though, he is rather good at getting out of bad scenarios. I want this matter taken care of quickly."

"Understood," Dirk replied, while Esau gathered the photos of the people involved.

"What about the family?" Esau questioned.

"If they get in the way, that's their fault. I don't care if something happens to them, as long as at the end of the day, Marshall Mann is brought to me or Ryder Mann is dead. I expect to hear from you soon." Marta dismissed them.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan returned to the hospital after getting a plan together for relocating Mary and Marshall's families. He needed all the information he could arm himself with before seeing Marshall's family at the hospital. They wouldn't like being sent away, and he could guarantee Mary and Ryder would put up an argument for staying. Ryder he could live with, especially if something happened, but Mary wouldn't be allowed to stay. After commandeering a meeting room he sent for the Manns to join him.

"Alright, we need to discuss moving all of you to a safe house. Before any of you can argue or protest, hear me out first," Stan asked them.

They listened intently and he could tell Marshall, Mary, and Ryder had expected this was coming.

"I've already asked the medical staff if it was safe to move Emily. They have stated that she can travel," Stan informed them.

Mary reached under the table and linked her hand with Marshall's. She had dreaded what she was going to hear, and it hadn't taken long for her fears to be realized.

"I'm not going, Stan. Mary, my parents and the kids need to go. If I go it puts them in even more danger. Marta will keep looking until she finds me. I just need to know that they'll be safe," Marshall said firmly.

"I'm not going either. I'm not hiding from her. She wants me, and I'll be damned if I sit in a safe house while she goes after Marshall." Ryder warned.

"The kids can go with Elizabeth, while the rest of us work on finding her," Mary said.

"No!" Marshall said adamantly.

"Marshall…" Mary was cut off by Marshall's hand over her lips.

"Look, Mary, I know how hard it is to be left behind at a safe house, but you can't move or defend yourself the way you need to if she comes after you. I'm not risking your life or the babies' lives in order for you to try and protect me. I won't do it and I won't allow it to happen."

"You won't _allow_?" Mary said irritably.

Everyone in the room held their breath. Mary crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Marshall.

"Yes, the same way you wouldn't allow me to go after Vance. I couldn't go because my injuries wouldn't _allow_ me to perform my job to the level necessary to participate in the trap. It would have risked not only my life, but you, Stan and the other marshals. Your pregnancy provides the same risks and you know that. I would love nothing more than to have you watching my back. This time it's you who can't go. You're the one that needs to stay at a safe house." Marshall explained

"Fine, you win this _one_ time, Doofus. I'm tired and it's five against one. You better be there when these two pop out," Mary said.

"You didn't think I'd miss the opportunity to watch you abuse the maternity staff again? Nothing will stop me and the camcorder from being there," Marshall smirked.

Mary rolled her eyes. "You're not taping this one either. No matter how much you beg, plead or tell me trivia."

"I would never suggest such a thing." Marshall pretended to be offended.

"Right, that's why you bought a camcorder when Brennan was almost due, upgraded when you found out about Emily and recently upgraded to the latest in video equipment when you found out about the twins. Not happening," Mary insisted.

"But it's the miracle of birth." Marshall waggled his eyebrows.

"Which you will witness first hand. Save it in your memory buddy, because that is the only place it will be playing," Mary huffed.

Once the pair was joking with each other the rest let out a collective sigh. Elizabeth looked at Ryder and Marshall.

"The both of you need to promise to look out for each other. I won't accept either of you not being okay when this is over. Marshall, you will do what Stan and your father tell you to. There will be no pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion. Don't give me that look either. I know you want this over, but it will not come at the sake of your health. The same goes for you, Ryder. Stan, I assume I can count on you and Eleanor to keep an eye on them," Elizabeth stated pointedly.

"You have my word," Stan said.

"I'm with Mary on the not liking this, but I know we don't have many options. I'll keep an eye on Mary and the kids for you. She _will not_ be doing anything she shouldn't be." Elizabeth cast a withering look at Mary.

"You weren't kidding about Mama Bear," Mary whispered, so only Ryder and Marshall could hear.

"Don't push your luck. Mom knows things that I don't know how she knows either," Marshall said.

"Whatever you do, don't get caught trying to do something she told you not to, either," Ryder warned. "My wife doesn't believe in age discrimination when it comes to doling out punishment."

Mary chuckled slightly at this until she noticed Marshall nodding and Ryder looking very serious.

"You're kidding, right?" Mary tried again.

"I'll take your mad over hers," Marshall replied seriously.

"Oh crap," Mary said.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Dirk and Esau were on a rooftop with a perfect line of sight to the main entrance of the hospital. Now all they had to do was wait for their target to appear. Since the orders were open ended, they decided dead from a greater distance was the better move. The two men had enough experience to know that the more time they had to clear out, the likelier they were to escape.

"How many marshals do you think they have protecting our target?" Esau asked.

"Quite a few, from what the boss said. The last time they had a large group working the case, providing a protective detail and even running a couple diversions. Their boss isn't afraid to do whatever he deems necessary to protect his people. These people are good. We miss this chance, and we're out of here."

Esau looked at Dirk. "We get one chance? That's it?"

"Yeah, it's not like we're dealing with normal people here. The boss mentioned that Marta has others on standby. We get first dibs. Anything goes wrong, we are on the first flight home," Dirk said. His gut was telling him they shouldn't have taken this job in the first place.

"What if they shut the airport down?" Esau knew it was a possibility.

"I don't ask questions. I just follow orders. Focus, Esau. I want to finish this job and get out of here."

"Here they come," Esau whispered, adjusting his scope to give coordinates to Dirk.

Dirk lined up Marshall in his sight and prepared to shoot.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Events were set into motion to get everyone ready to move. Mary and Marshall knew their son would be the most confused, and angry that his dad wasn't coming

Stan was walking ahead of Mary and Marshall when he noticed a reflection on the rooftop of a building across the street.

"Get down!" Stan ordered, lunging towards his inspectors as the sound of rifle blasts was heard

Marshall shielded Mary with his body when Stan called out, while trying to get her down behind the SUV. The bullets pierced the windows, blanketing them with broken glass pieces.

Mary felt Marshall flinch after one of the shots. She tried to turn to check on him, but he wouldn't let her move.

"Damn it, Marshall," Mary yelled in frustration.

"Don't even think about moving," he hissed back.

"What hit you?" The fear crept into her voice.

"Just some of the glass, I think."

"You _think_?" Mary needed to know for sure, but the more she struggled to move, the tighter Marshall held onto her.

They both overheard Stan giving the location of the shooter through his walkie talkie before turning to check on his inspectors. He noticed the blood stains on Marshall's shirt immediately.

"Marshall, Mary. Are you alright?" Stan asked.

"Marshall?" Mary looked up at Marshall now that he released her.

"Marshall, don't move until we can see what happened to your back," Stan ordered.

"I'm okay, Stan." Marshall finally spoke after scanning Mary's body.

"I'll be the judge of that. Mary, are you alright?" Stan asked.

"I will be, if you tell me what happened to my husband." Mary answered as she stroked Marshall's cheek to remind herself he was right there.

"Marshall, can you move? I want us inside where it's safe." Stan asked, knowing they were too exposed in the open.

"Yeah, I can move," Marshall said.

Stan signaled for the detail to get ready to move Mary and Marshall back inside.

The second they were inside, Mary stopped Marshall and began to undo the buttons of his shirt while Stan arranged for someone to look at him.

The nurse led Marshall into one of the exam rooms while Stan and Mary waited.

"We've changed the timetable. I've got a detail on the way to pick up Jinx and Brennan to take them to the airport immediately. Peter and Brandi are already at the airport, and in a secured room," Stan informed Mary. "You should be checked over."

"Nothing happened to me. Doofus made sure I didn't land on the babies and shielded me. I just need to know that he's okay. What about the shooters?"

"The rooftop was empty. All bullet casings were removed from the location. There's a team going over the rooftop looking for evidence. Ryder and a team are loading Emily and Elizabeth into the minivan. As soon as Marshall is checked over, then we'll join them in the garage and head to the airstrip. You'll have a few moments before the plane leaves. I promise you again that I will do everything in my power to keep Marshall and Ryder safe." Stan vowed.

Mary leaned over and kissed his bald spot.

"Thank you for everything, Stan. I know you'll keep them safe. I finally understand how Marshall felt that day we left him behind. I don't like feeling useless or incapable of covering my husband's back."

"Mrs. Mann, you can come back now," a nurse said, interrupting the conversation.

"How is he?" Mary asked immediately.

"The doctor is just finishing up with him now," the nurse said, as she moved the curtain back to let Mary enter.

"How is he, doctor?" Mary asked, not waiting for Marshall to try and soothe her.

"I see what you mean," the doctor smirked at Marshall. Mary raised her eyebrow at her husband.

"We cleaned the wounds. Only one was a deep cut. No stitches were needed."

"So he's going to be fine," Mary asked.

"Yes," the doctor replied.

"Are you okay?" Marshall asked.

"I'm fine. Stan is moving us right away. I don't like this, Marshall. I need to be here if something happens." Mary felt herself tearing up, and then cursed her damn hormones for turning her into a sap.

Marshall stood up and pulled her close. Leaning in, he kissed her deeply.

"Trust me, I know how hard this is, Mare. I need you and the kids to be safe. I couldn't survive losing you. I love you."

Mary felt him wipe the tears away with his thumb. She pulled him in for another kiss before leaning her forehead against his.

"I love you too, Doofus We need to find you another shirt. I don't want the kids seeing blood on you."

Stan walked in. "Did I hear a request for a clean shirt?" Stan handed him a marshal t-shirt he managed to get from one of the detail's go bags.

"Thanks," Marshall said, while putting it on. "Are we ready to move out?"

"We have two decoy units that will move out with standard SUV's. We'll give them a few minutes before we'll leave. Brennan and Jinx arrived safely at the airport a few minutes ago. Jinx, Brandi and Peter will go to one location while Mary, the kids and your Mom will go to another location," Stan said.


	8. Chapter 8

Esau and Dirk cleared off the building as soon as they realized the shots missed. Swiftly packing up the rifle and bullet casings, they made their way off the rooftop and into their vehicle. Esau reported into Al to inform him of the failed attempt.

"Got it, boss," Esau said before hanging up.

"Well?" Dirk asked.

"The boss is going to contact Marta. Told us to drive to El Paso and he'll arrange transport into Mexico," Esau replied.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta was glaring at the phone while tapping her fingers impatiently on the desk. Finally, it rang.

"Well?" she asked, never bothering to check who it was.

"They were made just before the trigger was fired. You will have to go to plan B," Al stated firmly.

"I thought you said they were competent," Marta hissed.

"They are. I'll be lucky if my men get out of New Mexico without getting caught," Al's voice turned angry. "I'm doing you a favor and you best remember that, Marta."

"Well maybe you should look into getting better help. They couldn't even take out one target." Marta slammed the phone down. Taking a few deep breaths she called Tony.

"Tony, I need your boys for the job," Marta demanded.

"Not now, Marta. Word is that mine, Al and Jerome's men have been targeted as possible threats with pictures distributed. I'm not sending my people in to get caught. You're going to have to go elsewhere." Tony wasn't going to budge on this.

"You said you would help," Marta reminded heatedly.

"I will, just _not now_. I don't need the Marshal Service breathing down my neck. There are other sources outside your normal areas that can be used. A package will arrive with some information for outsourcing. It's the best I can do for you."

"Fine," Marta snapped in frustration. She knew that Jerome would give the same reply. She had to wait for Tony's package to arrive. Picking up a glass vase, she hurtled it at the wall, cursing the day her family came across the Manns.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The minivan arrived at the airstrip and was driven directly into the hanger. The hanger door closed as soon as the minivan was in. The Manns and Stan stepped out of the vehicles and were met by Mary's family and Brennan.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Brennan called out excitedly. He ran as fast as his feet would take him.

Marshall picked Brennan up. Mary tried to stop Marshall because she was worried he'd open up the cut on his back.

"Hey, buddy," Marshall said.

"Nana Jinx said we're going on a trip," Brennan said.

"Yes, we are," Mary replied, kissing his cheek.

Brennan looked at his Daddy.

"You come, Daddy?"

"Not this time, pal," Marshall said softly.

Brennan's smile faded.

"I don't wanna go," he pouted.

Marshall indicated to Mary that he wanted to talk to their son separately. She nodded and moved towards her family.

Marshall grabbed a seat and sat Brennan on his lap.

"Brennan, I know that you want all of us to be together, but right now I can't go. I know you hate it when we're apart." Marshall looked to make sure his son was paying attention.

"Why can't you go?" Brennan bit his lip.

Marshall smiled. Brennan inherited a few of Mary's traits. "Daddy has to work with Grandpa Ryder and Grandpa Stan. I'll see about taking some time off when you're done with your trip, and you and I can do something together, okay?"

"Pinky swear?" Brennan asked.

"Pinky swear." Marshall gave his son his pinky, sealing the deal. "I need you to be on your best behavior for Mommy and Grandma. Can you promise me that?"

"Uh huh," Brennan said.

"I love you, Brennan," Marshall said as he pulled him in for a hug.

"Love you too, Daddy." Brennan noticed Emily over his Dad's shoulder when he pulled back from the hug and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Marshall picked up on his son's distress right away.

"What happened to Emmy?" Brennan pointed at his sister.

Mary and he had decided not to take Brennan to see Emily at the hospital for fear of how he'd react. They were hoping to wait until the trach had come out.

"That's there to help Emmy. It helps with her owie. She's okay." Marshall said calmly while he rubbed his son's back in a soothing gesture.

"It doesn't hurt her?" Brennan asked.

"No. It helps her to feel better," Marshall said.

"Okay," Brennan replied.

"Where are Nana Jinx, Aunt Brandi and Uncle Peter going?" Brennan asked seeing them getting ready to board a different plane.

"They are going on a different trip. Why don't you give them a hug goodbye?" Marshall said, and watched his son run over to them.

Mary smiled at Brennan as he approached. She saw Marshall pause before starting towards them. She worried what he was thinking about. Mary had already said her goodbyes to her family and headed towards her husband.

"What's wrong?"

"They're all in danger because of me. Their lives are being disrupted, and it's my fault. You and the kids have to be separated from your family and me. Brennan's hurting and confused; Emily and Brandi were shot because of me. I'm so sorry, Mary." Marshall whispered.

"Marshall Ryder Mann, you stop that this instant," Mary scolded. "It's not your fault this woman and her family has torn apart your life since you were a little boy. Brennan and Emily will both be fine, because neither of us would accept anything less. We'll make things better; it's just going to take some time. My family is looking at this as a government paid vacation. They're actually looking forward to getting away for a while. I won't lie and tell you that your mother and I aren't worried, because you'd know I was lying. The one thing I do know is this _isn't _your fault. I don't ever want to hear those words coming from your lips again."

Marshall pulled her to him so that her back rested against his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "I hate having to be away from all of you."

Mary knew he needed her support so she leaned against him more and placed her hands over his.

"Me too. I want to stay here, but I know the kids will need me with them. I still want you to come with us. I don't like you outside with Marta looking for you. She's not going to stop this time." Mary had finally resigned herself to the fact they had to be separated no matter how much she hated it.

"Marta isn't going to get my Dad. I won't let her steal another family member away from me."

Mary looked up to see the tense line of his jaw. "Stan bought us untraceable phones so that we could stay in touch. I want a daily call from you. I need to hear your voice. I need to know that you're okay, Marshall. You can't die on me, do you understand me?"

"I know. That contract is forever binding," Marshall smiled. She always reminded him of that. He watched as they began to load Emily on the plane. His Mom had Brennan's hand and they were saying goodbye to Grandpa Ryder.

Mary was watching the same thing. She loved to watch his parents interact. It showed her relationships could last through the roughest of times. She squeezed Marshall's hand tighter. She didn't want to let him go, but knew she was going to have to get on the plane.

"It's time, Mare. I need to say goodbye to Emily, Mom, and Brennan." Marshall felt Mary nod as they moved towards the second plane.

Mary waited outside while Marshall said goodbye in the plane. She wanted a little more privacy for just them. Once he came back out he walked straight to her.

"Here's your phone. Use it." Mary ordered before kissing him passionately. Breaking apart she cupped his cheek. "Love you. Stay safe."

"Love you too. Be good." Marshall stroked his thumb over her cheek before claiming her lips one last time. "Take care of yourself and listen to Mom. Don't forget she can run a very tight ship."

"This feels wrong," she whispered.

"I know, but it's not," Marshall reassured before Mary headed up the stairs and into the plane.

Ryder came up to Marshall, and placed a supporting hand on his shoulder. They stood side by side as they watched both jets take off.

"They'll be fine, Marshall," Ryder said firmly.

"I already miss them," Marshall whispered back.

"Then let's get to work and find that crazy woman so we can have our family back home," Ryder said.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta finally received Tony's package. She dialed the number of Duncan Haig. He would be available for services in two weeks.

Sitting back at her desk, she pulled Colby's picture out. "Soon, my sweet husband, your death will be avenged. Ryder will pay for testifying at your probationary hearing to keep you locked up. Soon, my love."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan, Ryder and Marshall were trying to narrow down locations for Marta to hide out. They had been looking at the property listings for hours and were not making any progress. The options were limitless. They also knew it was possible for her to go to one of the locations that had already been checked. There wasn't enough manpower to have surveillance set up at each and every location.

"How do we draw her out?" Marshall asked out of the blue.

Ryder and Stan looked at him, puzzled.

"We're spending all of our time and resources trying to figure out where she's at. Instead of looking for her and hoping we find her; why not set up a situation that brings her to us?" Marshall asked.

"Why don't I like the sound of this?" Stan asked.

"Look, we all know Marta wants my Dad. If she can't get to him directly she'll use me. We don't know where she's getting her information from, but if we set it up so that it looks like Dad was forced to leave town. We can arrange for her to come after me. We can keep a tracer on me and you can follow me to her," Marshall replied.

"No, absolutely not. If anyone is going to be bait it will be me," Ryder said adamantly.

"Dad, you can't go. She won't wait to kill you. If we use me then she'll have to wait for you to arrive. It gives Stan and you plenty of time to get to me," Marshall said.

"What happens to you during the time you're taken and when we locate you?" Stan asked.

"Do you have a better idea? I haven't heard one yet. We can keep trying to locate her or we can draw her out." Marshall snapped.

Ryder and Stan ignored Marshall's anger. His frustration with the whole situation was justified.

"Look, we're all tired. Let's go home and get some sleep so we can think clearly in the morning. I'm not ruling out your idea completely but Marshall; I want all of our options laid out. This plan would be a last ditch effort at the best. I won't rule it out completely, but I don't like it any more than Ryder," Stan said.

"Fine, but we need to put an end to this," Marshall shrugged.

"I set up rooms for both of you at a hotel. I'm assuming at this point Marta knows where you live. I have teams set up in the rooms next to yours and at all entrances and exits," Stan informed both Ryder and Marshall.

The three men got up and headed out for the night. Stan and Ryder knew they needed a better plan.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary stared out the window as the plane began its descent into the Middleton Municipal Airport. They would be driven from there to Madison, Wisconsin. They had only been at their original location for two weeks, when Elizabeth had accidentally run into an old friend. Not wanting to take a chance, Stan had them loaded up and moved again. Elizabeth had been keeping an eye on Brennan while Mary was lost in thought, holding onto Emily's hand.

"Mommy, look it, the trees are getting bigger," Brennan stated, fascinated.

Mary turned and smiled at him. She got up and quickly moved over towards him, while keeping one hand on Emily's hand.

"That's because we are going to be landing soon," Mary said, ruffling his hair.

Elizabeth reached out and squeezed Mary's hand. She knew she was thinking of Marshall. It was hard not to when you looked at their son.

"Will we get to play soon?" Brennan asked.

"We'll see what there's to do when we arrive," Mary said, not wanting to disappoint Brennan. She knew they'd have to be indoors most of the time.

"Daddy coming soon?"

"Brennan, Daddy can't make it this trip."

"How long before we go home to Daddy?" Brennan asked.

Mary saw the innocent look behind those familiar blue eyes. Sometimes it hurt her that he had his father's eyes and expressions. She could read Brennan as well as Marshall. Their eyes couldn't hide anything.

"Hey, look, is that a cow?" Mary asked, trying to distract Brennan from his question. She smiled as he looked out in wonder at the ground below them once again.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Duncan Haig arrived in Albuquerque earlier then he told Marta. This allowed him to get acquainted with the area. His fee for this one was extraordinary, but due to the high level of risk, he felt it adequate.

His main concern now was hooking up with his contacts. The background check he had done on both the marshal and his employer turned out to be interesting. Fate had somehow intertwined these two families. The marshal killing the grandson and son to the woman whose first husband murdered his sister had to be the slimmest odds in town.

Duncan's biggest concern was how well protected this marshal would be.

He continued to pursue the information he had, looking for an indication of where they might be hiding Marshall Mann.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall paced back and forth across the hotel room trying to calm down before calling Mary. If he was too worked up she would know he was up to something she wouldn't approve of. If she found out what he planned, she'd be on the next flight home to kick his ass.

Finally, after an hour he calmed down. He was truly grateful Stan had worked the phones out for him. He dialed, waiting for Mary to pick up.

"Hey, cowboy!" Mary greeted.

"Hey, sunshine. How are you and the kids?" Marshall asked, suddenly feeling even lonelier hearing her voice.

"Brennan misses you and is confused by all of this. I don't think moving to another location helped. The doctors are taking good care of Emily. Your Mom is with her right now. She is not _allowing _me to stay overnight. She is awful bossy when she wants to be," Mary replied.

Marshall chuckled at that. "She's worried about Dad and me. Since we aren't around to fret over she's going to fuss over you and the kids. We were serious about the warning. She'll become a Mama bear, and since you're carrying her grandbabies you need to be careful what you do or say."

"Marshall, your Mom and I get along just fine. I think you and your father are over exaggerating the whole thing. How are things going on your end?"

"Slow." Marshall went on to explain what was discussed at the office without mentioning his idea.

"What aren't you telling me?" Mary demanded.

"Nothing, Mare. I'm tired, frustrated, and lonely. I miss my family immensely."

"You better not be thinking about doing anything stupid or I will come back there and kick your as…butt." Mary corrected herself as Brennan walked into the room.

"Brennan still up?" Marshall knew Brennan would be the only reason Mary changed her sentence.

"Yeah," Mary said warmly.

"Can I talk to him?" Marshall asked

"Sure," Mary said. She signaled for Brennan to come over. "Why don't you say hi to Daddy."

"Daddy?" Brennan asked.

"Hey. How was your trip?"

Brennan went on to explain the growing trees and cows. "Are you coming soon?"

Marshall felt his heart ache at that question. He could hear the hopefulness in Brennan's voice.

"I love you, Brennan." Marshall didn't have the heart to say no. It wouldn't matter how many times he tried to explain. His son wanted him there and nothing would change that.

"Love you too, Daddy. Mommy wants to talk," Brennan replied, handing his mother the phone.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked as she watched Brennan climb onto the bed.

"Give him and Emily a huge hug for me?" Marshall asked.

"I will. Brennan will be fine, Marshall. Don't go down the guilt path. You're protecting us. He knows you love him and that's all that matters." Mary wanted to be able to hold and comfort Marshall.

"Thanks, it's good to hear that. I just worry about how he's responding to all of this." Marshall said and heard Mary trying to cover up a yawn. "It's late and the two of you need to get some sleep. I'll call you again tomorrow. Give my love to the kids and Mom. I love you, Mare."

"You better stay safe, Marshall. Love you too." Mary hung up reluctantly. Something was up, but she didn't know what.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta was waiting impatiently for Duncan to arrive at the house. The two weeks had passed slowly. She wanted to go over the specifics with him and get the ball rolling. She knew this needed to be done soon. Law enforcement would find her eventually.

The doorbell rang and she swiftly moved to the entry way. Opening the door, she saw the tall, muscular form in front of her. Smiling, she knew this had to be Duncan. His whole persona yelled tough guy. His jet black hair was swept back and he had a scar running from his chin up to his cheek.

"Marta, I presume," the deep baritone voice asked.

"Duncan Haig?" Marta asked. Once he nodded, she led him into the study.

"Mr. Haig, I do believe the situation has been spelled out for you in a complete and understanding way. I will not accept failure. If that happens there will be consequences to be paid. I'm sure you are well aware of my connections. Sit down and I will show you the players involved," Marta said before laying the photos out.

"You only have three people here. What about the detail that is protecting Marshall Mann?" Duncan asked.

"These are the only three believed to be in town. I don't have information on the detail itself, but I do know from a source that several marshals have been brought in to help with the case. The son is the key to locating the father. I want the father dead. We haven't been able to pinpoint his location. Find the son, you'll find the father somewhere nearby. I want detailed information on how you plan to proceed and when."

"That's not how I work," Duncan started. "I do the job my way and by my terms. I'll call you as soon as I have the target taken care of."

Marta wanted to stew over the fact, but she knew her options were limited.

"Once Ryder Mann is dead, you'll get paid."

"I'll be in touch. Don't call me. I want there to be no connection from you to me unless I set it up," Duncan warned. Keeping his tracks covered was how he managed to never get caught. It was a record he'd like to keep.

"Just get the job done and don't screw it up," Marta demanded as she dismissed him.

/|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan had come into work earlier then he told everyone else to. He needed a plan that didn't require Marshall being used. He wouldn't forgive himself if something went wrong. His thoughts were answered swiftly when he received an e-mail alert on two men they had sent photos out on. They were picked up late last night speeding while trying to cross into Texas.

Stan was ready to do a happy dance with that news. It would at least allow them the opportunity to delay using Marshall. Picking up the phone, he called the San Antonio branch to make sure Dirk McKinley and Esau David were on their way to Albuquerque. Just as he was hanging up the phone, he noticed father and son walking into the office. Stan moved out to meet them.

"They just caught two of Al Profaci's men crossing into El Paso. They are going to be transported here for questioning," Stan said happily.

"So if she used Al's men to come after me, would she use his properties to hide out. or one of her other connection's properties?" Marshall asked.

"One of the other two would make more sense. She wouldn't want it to be easy to track her movements. If she continues using the same source it would help narrow down our selection, and I don't think she's stupid. Marta is probably rotating between the three. That is how Blaze operated his business, according to the files we've gone over," Ryder said.

Stan's phone rang, interrupting them before they could continue their thought process.

"Where were they picked up?"

Ryder and Marshall looked towards Stan knowing that question meant more good news.

"They found the two men who shot Emily and Brandi in the park. They were holed up in Santa Fe. They are in transit to the police station," Stan said.

"Who are they?" Marshall asked.

"Ricky Frey and Aaron Fitzgerald. We're going to have to research them," Stan stated.

"On it," Marshall said, quickly heading to his computer. Part way to his computer he dead stopped. "Stan, I think I have a plan. We just need to put it together before Ricky and Aaron arrive at the police station.

"Let's hear it," Stan said. He and Ryder listened intently.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Duncan had been scoping out Marshall Mann's home after his meeting with Marta. That location proved useless. He'd followed several of the cars after shift changes, but that only led him to the police station. Heading back to his hotel with photos of the officers that had watch duty, he laid them out on the bedspread while deciding to cash in on a favor.

"Todd, this is Duncan. I need a location on one U.S. Marshal Marshall Mann. I believe he is still in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also I'd like information on the whereabouts of his parents Ryder and Elizabeth Mann and wife, Mary."

"That's a tall order and a lot higher price then the favor I owe," Todd replied.

"Not if you want to keep your career intact," Duncan reminded the man.

"I'll see what I can do," Todd said in frustration as he hung up the phone.

Duncan smiled. It was always good to have blackmail that can ruin an aspiring person's career.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/

Marshall and Stan headed to the precinct when Aaron and Ricky were brought in. Stan insisted Marshall observe while he and Bobby proceeded with the interrogation.

Stan and Bobby approached the table where Aaron sat. Sitting down across from the man, they placed some files out on the table.

"Aaron Fitzgerald, nephew to Clint Fitzgerald from the Houston area," Bobby said, hoping for reaction. "What brings you to Albuquerque? Did you drive all the way in to shoot a defenseless two and half year old and her aunt?"

"I want my attorney," Aaron replied firmly.

"Your Uncle Clint sent for him already. Thought you might want to talk about making a deal," Bobby started but was interrupted as the attorney entered.

"I'd like to converse with my client in private," the attorney said firmly.

Bobby and Stan left the room while Marshall met them in the hall.

"What about Ricky?" Marshall asked. "Exactly how much are you willing to deal with these guys?'

Bobby heard the anger in Marshall's voice and couldn't blame him.

"Depends on which one. A witness heard a yell of 'no' from the car. One of the two didn't want the other to shoot. Whichever one didn't shoot at Brandi and Emily, I'm willing to give them an out if they testify and give us all the information they have on Marta," Bobby said.

Marshall ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Marshall, I know that you want the person that shot Emily to pay and he will. If the other one can lead us to Marta then we can finally put her behind bars," Stan reminded.

"I know that, but he was involved in hurting my daughter. He's just going to get a free ride?" Marshall replied. Swiftly he rushed out of the room.

"Marshall," Bobby called out, getting ready to follow him before Stan stopped him.

"I'll get him," Stan said heading out after Marshall.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Duncan was waiting in his hotel room watching the news cast when his cell phone rang.

"Hello," Duncan said.

"I've got one scoop of information for you, but the rest isn't in yet. Ryder Mann was flown out on a leer jet this morning. Rumor is he got called in for a case that he helped worked on. No time frame for how long he'll be gone," Todd replied. "I'll call back with the rest of the information and any updates on Ryder Mann."

"You do that. The sooner the better," Duncan said hanging up. Taking out a throw away phone he called Marta.

"Hello." Marta said answering her phone.

"We have a situation. Ryder Mann has left the state and there's no time frame for his return. Do you want to sit it out, or go after the son to bring Daddy back?" Duncan asked.

"Bring me Ryder's son. I'll go back to the exchange. Do you know where to find him?" Marta asked.

Duncan looked at the television and saw a breaking news story. The suspects for the shooting of a woman and child in a local park were being brought into the police station.

"I have a really good idea on where to find him. I'll have him shortly. Where do you want him delivered?"

Marta supplied the address to Duncan before hanging up.

Grabbing his gear, Duncan headed towards the police station. The marshals would want to talk to the two men; this would give him a shot at the son. There's no way Marshall Mann would miss the men who shot his daughter.

Nestling on the rooftop of a building overlooking the back entrance to the police station, he scoped out the back door. Waiting patiently, he watched everyone going in and out of the back door.

His patience was soon rewarded. As he looked through the rifle scope he noticed Marshall Mann step out of the police station. Lining the rifle up, Duncan squeezed the trigger.


	9. Chapter 9

Stan rushed after Marshall as he stormed out of the precinct.

"Marshall!" Stan yelled in a commanding voice. "Get inside the building _now_."

The shot's echo filled the air as Stan reached out and grabbed Marshall's arm, pulling him towards the door just as his shoulder jerked back.

Several police officers came out of the precinct and Stan ordered them in the shooter's direction. He pulled Marshall inside with the help of another police officer.

"Officer down! Officer down! We need an ambulance at the station's back entrance," the officer radioed in.

"Marshall, look at me," Stan ordered, gaining his attention.

"Mary's going to be pissed," Marshall said with pain in his voice.

"Don't remind me," Stan replied, while applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

"How bad?" Marshall asked.

"It doesn't look too bad," Stan said.

"Good," Marshall replied.

"Right, now how the hell would you like me to explain that to your wife and mother? 'He's fine just a small hole in his shoulder?'" Stan asked sarcastically.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Duncan quickly left the rooftop. He was angry at the timing of Marshall's boss. He had the perfect shot to injure the marshal enough to make for a long hospital stay. Instead he only managed a shoulder wound. He was hoping to have more time to put his plan into action.

Duncan turned his car down an alleyway in order to avoid the police cars that were heading towards his location. He had to ditch his car and steal another one because of the video surveillance in the parking lot. He'd made sure his clothing concealed his face, but the car and his appearance would draw suspicion when they viewed the video.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan sat in the waiting room while Marshall was being checked over. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he quickly answered it.

"Chief, we've canvassed the area. The rooftop was clear. No shell casings, fingerprints or any evidence left behind. We know he had to leave in a hurry, we were on the building in less then twenty minutes," the officer informed him.

"Grab any and all surveillance video of that area. The shooter was watching the station," Stan ordered. "Let me know when you have it. I'll have Dershowitz pick it up and we'll go over it."

Stan returned to waiting for information on Marshall's status. The doctor came out a few minutes later and gave him the run down of Marshall's injuries.

"Your inspector is very lucky, if the bullet had been an inch over it would have hit bone. We've cleaned out the wound and are giving him some antibiotics to avoid an infection. He'll need to keep his arm in a sling."

"Is there a way to keep his information confidential in the system? We need to keep his whereabouts quiet. I don't want the shooter to find him here," Stan asked.

"Yes," the doctor replied. "His charts will read under the name of Scotty Doohan." "Thank you, doctor," Stan replied.

The doctor told Stan what room that Marshall would be moved to. They led Stan to Marshall and he escorted him to his hospital room. His cell phone rang as Marshall's gurney was pushed into the room.

"McQueen."

"Stan," Mary replied.

"What's wrong, Mary?" Stan asked.

"We heard on the news there was a shooting at the police station. The reporter said someone was injured. Marshall isn't answering his phone. Is he okay?"

"Mary, not everything is as it seems right now," Stan replied, knowing she'd pick up on the code.

"Do I even want to know?" Mary asked.

"Everything will be fine," Stan replied.

Mary sank into the chair. "When can I talk to him?"

"I'll have him call you as soon as possible," Stan said vaguely.

"Stan, Marshall better be in one piece when this is over," Mary replied.

"Mary, you know that I won't let anything happen to Marshall. Look, I hate to cut you off, but I need to get into Marshall's room now," Stan said

"Tell my husband to call me the first chance he gets," Mary replied before hanging up.

"What happened? Is Marshall hurt?" Elizabeth demanded.

Mary explained what Stan said. "Stan, Marshall and Ryder have some plan in effect, but Stan didn't say what it was. He's probably worried about who Marta's connections are and if they reach the hospital staff. They're playing it out as if the injury is real. I need to be there, Elizabeth. Marshall needs me and I can't stand this sitting around waiting for something to happen."

"You can't be there. Sit down and relax for a little bit. Your ankles look swollen."

"I can't relax. I don't know what their plan is and Marshall always bounces ideas off of me first," Mary said getting more aggravated.

"You can and _will _relax. Stan, Marshall and Ryder are very capable of coming up with something that will work. You _are _fully aware of that. You're not used to being on the sidelines and it's getting to you. I understand this is hard for you, but the only thing you're doing by getting worked up is increasing your blood pressure. Sit, and that is an order," Elizabeth said, sending Mary a glare. "You need to take Brennan back to the house soon so the both of you can get a good night's sleep." Elizabeth looked at her grandson sitting on Emily's hospital bed, holding her hand.

"Now I know where Marshall inherited the overbearing part from," Mary mumbled.

"You think Marshall and I are bad, you should've seen Ryder when I was pregnant with both Marshall and Emily," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Stress isn't good for a pregnancy. Especially when you're carrying twins. I'm sure your doctor has warned you about that…and about the increased potential for premature labor."

Mary glared at her mother-in-law. "There is no way these kids are coming into this world without Marshall being there for the event. I absolutely refuse to allow that to happen. I love the look in his eyes when they're born. The joy that shows in his eyes and face are incredible to watch," Mary smiled, remembering her other two births. Between her holding the babies for the first time, and the look on Marshall's face, she forgot all about the pain and her fear of motherhood.

"Marshall will do everything in his power to be there for you. The only way he won't be there is if he feels it endangers you or the kids," Elizabeth said knowingly.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Duncan called Marta to advise her of the situation.

"What do you mean you shot Marshall? Your job was to kill Ryder Mann," Marta yelled into the phone.

"My sources confirmed that Ryder Mann was flown out of town this morning. Something to do with a case of his that needed his immediate attention," Duncan said patiently.

"So you shot Marshall to bring Ryder back to town. Get his son and get him quickly," Marta replied bitterly.

"I need the drop off location for the son," Duncan replied. He didn't care for Marta's attitude or eagerness. Both can lead to mistakes that would end with them in jail or dead. She gave him the location and hung up. Grabbing his cell phone he called another friend who owed him.

"Reynolds, it's time to pay back your favor. I need to find a shooting victim in Albuquerque. Not sure which hospital he's at. The victim's name is Marshall Mann, but I doubt that he would be registered under that name. Squeeze your people tight. I need the answer in an hour." Duncan hung up knowing the man would provide the answer. He'd been eager to repay his debt and walk away. Once he had that he could cash in another favor to get him access to Mann.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall sat up as soon as Stan closed the door. Ryder came out of the bathroom and handed Marshall his Glock.

"How's your shoulder?" Ryder asked.

"I'll be sporting a nice bruise tomorrow. The bullet popped through the blood packet and into the vest. It looked like the bullet actually went into my shoulder," Marshall replied.

"The plan went smoothly. Everyone thought he'd been shot. I have the two men from your detail guarding the door. This entire floor is now inspectors and law enforcement pretending to be hospital staff. The patients have been temporarily relocated to open rooms on other floors. Your 'doctor' was the coroner from the crime lab. He gave the practiced speech to me, just in case someone at the hospital is working with Marta or the hit man. I have details watching all entrances and exits looking for anyone suspicious. Any suspicious persons will be allowed to enter onto the floor, but will be observed the minute they arrive. Anyone carrying will be detained and questioned. I'm thinking they'll use a distraction to get to you. Nothing causes chaos like gunfire. Our agents have their normal weapons plus weapons loaded with blanks. Your Dad will hide in the closet. I'll be next to you," Stan said.

"You're thinking that the hit man will use the vent," Marshall replied pointing at the ceiling.

"We've got that covered, but I'm worried about them being suspicious about the 'lack' of security around Marshall's room," Ryder said. "I'm sure after the numerous attempts at Marshall, they'd expect more security."

"When I put the request in, it was suggested that we didn't want it to be obvious that we're covering Marshall. The more men in the hallway, the more it screams he's here. If we're trying to hide him, we wouldn't want to do that," Stan replied. Stan's cell rang.

"McQueen."

"Two suspicious males heading in through the emergency room," the inspector cautioned.

"Have everyone move into places," Stan replied before hanging up. "Company has arrived."

Ryder moved into the closet, leaving it open enough to be able to shoot right away if necessary. Marshall lay down and closed his eyes, while Stan took the chair next to Marshall's bed.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Duncan entered the hospital carrying a bouquet of daisies. He headed through the main lobby doors and towards the stairwell. Entering the floor, he disposed of the flowers after walking past the nurse's station and made his way to the maintenance closet. He opened the maintenance closet and stepped in. The ladder was in place along with some tools to open the vent as he had requested, cashing in another favor. Climbing the ladder, he undid the vent's grate, climbed in and moved into position.

Twenty minutes later the sound of gunfire began to penetrate the floor. Moving the grate leading to Marshall's room, Duncan lowered the tranquilizer gun. He shot Marshall and Stan with it, and then dropped into the room. He moved Stan's upper body off the bed and was about to start unplugging Marshall's monitors when he was greeted with two guns aimed at his face and the barrel of another in his back.

"U.S. Marshal, freeze," Ryder said.

Duncan raised his hands slowly above his head.

"I tranquilized both of them. There's no way they should be awake," Duncan said in confusion.

"Kevlar not only helps protect against bullets, but keeps those pesky tranquilizer darts away." Marshall smirked, flicking at the dart stuck into his vest.

"How do you feel about making a deal?" Stan asked.

Duncan knew he was screwed if he didn't. "What's the offer?"

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary woke up in a cold sweat. She'd been so tired after talking to Marshall and returning from the hospital that she put Brennan to bed early. Her heart was still pounding as she realized her phone was buzzing.

"Marshall?" Mary asked hurriedly.

"Hey, Sunshine," Marshall replied.

"What happened? What is happening? Are you okay?" Mary asked.

"That's my girl," Marshall said happily.

"That isn't an answer. You're giving me heartburn here," Mary warned.

"We staged the injury at the police station. We caught the hired shooter. Stan is currently bargaining with him for information on where Marta is. We're going after her as soon as we have all the information. It should be tonight. I'm fine. My shoulder is just sporting a new bruise," Marshall replied.

"So, we can come home," Mary said excitedly.

"Not yet, Mare. Not until Marta is in custody," Marshall replied.

"You need me," Mary said.

Marshall couldn't help but smile. "I always need you, but you're not coming back until Marta is behind bars."

"This sucks, Marshall."

"I concur, but I'd rather know that you and the kids are safe. How are Brennan and Emily?"

"Brennan's okay. He's acting out some, but that's to be expected. I've taken him to a child psychologist to talk about Emily's shooting. That seems to be helping. When we're all together again, I think he'll be alright. Emily is doing great. The doctor's are pleased and talking about releasing her tomorrow morning. Your Mom is with her. She insists on staying there at night and it seems to work well. Brennan seems calmer when I stay with him through the night," Mary replied, trying to fight the yawn that was threatening to escape.

"You're tired. I should let you go. I'll call you back later to let you know what's happening. Give the kids and Mom my love. I love you, Mary"

"I love you too, Marshall. Call me again when you get a chance," Mary replied.

"I will. Take care of yourself. Bye, Mare."

"Bye, Marshall."

Mary called Stan immediately after talking to Marshall..

"McQueen."

"Stan, Marshall said you're going after Marta tonight. I want you to promise me that once you've caught her the jet will be at the airport waiting to bring me, Elizabeth and the kids home," Mary demanded.

"Already in the works. I know not to keep you away from your husband. The detail will get a call as soon as we have Marta. They'll take you to the airstrip and bring you home," Stan replied.

"Thanks, Stan."

"You're welcome."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Ryder arranged to bring Duncan into the station with as little visibility as possible. Not knowing who Marta or Duncan had in their pockets, they didn't want to take any chances.

Bobby looked at Ryder and Stan as they came in the building

"You know, it would be nice if you had told me that Mann had a vest on. It would have saved me some concern."

"Sorry, Dershowitz, we don't know who Marta is connected to and how far that connection reaches. While I trust you, I didn't want anyone else to overhear. We didn't want to take any chances," Stan said.

"I cleared out the entry way to the interrogation room. No one should see you bringing the shooter in. Where's Marshall?" Bobby asked.

"At the office. Once we have the location, he's going to get a layout on Marta's location and put a plan together to breach the building," Ryder replied

Duncan was placed at the interrogation table and Stan, Ryder and Bobby were across from him.

"Where were you meeting Marta?" Stan asked.

"I was to drop him off at an abandoned motel on the outskirts of town. Marta was to meet me there and set up a trade. She wants Ryder above anything else. The woman is obsessed with killing Ryder. She has no qualms about using his son or anyone else to get to him. Your son isn't her priority, but if he dies in the process, she gets justice for her grandson," Duncan replied.

"What time are you supposed to be delivering Marshall to her?" Stan asked.

"I didn't say. I told her I work on my own schedule. Marta wanted it done quickly. She's worried about how long she's been here already. I asked for the drop off location and told her I'd call before I would deliver the package," Duncan replied, giving them the address.

Ryder stepped out of the room. Grabbing his cell phone he called Marshall.

"Mann."

"Marshall, we got the location," Ryder said. He then gave him the address of the abandoned hotel.

"I'll set up the plan," Marshall replied.

"All right, we'll meet you back at the office and go over the details," Ryder said before hanging up.

Ryder stepped back into the interrogation room.

"When we're ready to go, I'm going to have you give Marta a call to confirm that you're coming with 'the package'. You'll tell her what we tell you to say and nothing more. Do you understand?" Stan asked Duncan.

"I got it," Duncan replied.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was sitting at the house playing with Brennan before Elizabeth and Emily arrived. This morning the doctor declared Emily fit to go home. Mary had sat Brennan down and explained the best she could about the bandage he would see covering Emily's throat. He seemed to accept her explanation and Mary was relieved.

Mary would also have to talk to Elizabeth after she arrived. Marshall had called her and informed her of what was happening on their end. She wanted to get all of their stuff packed up in case Marta was either dead or behind bars before tonight was over. Elizabeth entered carrying a sleepy Emily with one of the inspectors bringing in Emily's belongings from the hospital.

"Welcome home, baby girl," Mary smiled, taking Emily from Elizabeth.

"Emmy! Emmy's home!" Brennan said loudly bouncing up and down. He looked to his Mom and Grandma. "Can I hug her?"

"Yes, just be gentle with her. She's really tired. Okay, buddy?" Mary replied, setting Emily on the sofa. She watched as Brennan hugged her gently before sitting next to Emily. Her daughter was already starting to fall asleep. Brennan let her use his leg for a pillow while Elizabeth covered her up.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked. Mary had a shine in her eyes that had been missing since they left Albuquerque.

Mary explained what was happening after leading Elizabeth into another room.

"After the kids fall asleep, I want to pack up all of our stuff. If they get Marta tonight then we're heading home. I want to be prepared to go right away. I also don't want to say anything in front of the kids. I don't want them to get their hopes up. If we don't leave tonight, they'd be devastated," Mary replied.


	10. Chapter 10

Marshall had spent all day gathering information on the abandoned hotel and formulating the plan for the breach. Stan, Ryder, and Dershowitz were on their way to the office to go over it. Once they agreed upon it they would go over it with the SWAT team. Getting up from his desk to get another cup of coffee, he stopped as the other men entered the room.

"I take it Duncan was willing to cooperate?" Marshall asked.

"Apparently he's not too fond of the prison system. He was more than willing to take a lesser sentence for his crimes. He'll make the call as soon as we have the plan in order," Dershowitz replied.

"Imagine that," Marshall said sarcastically.

"What's the plan?" Stan asked.

They went over every detail of the plan and looked for anything that might have been missed. Once everyone was satisfied with their roles they headed back to the precinct. The SWAT team was called in for the debriefing, and all that was left was for Duncan to call Marta.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta was pacing the length of the hotel office waiting for the phone to ring. She figured that Duncan would move swiftly, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't care for the way he operated. She preferred to know what was going on at all times.

Tony Luciano had called her to let her know he was able to send her five men. Marta knew they were the expendable ones, or else she wouldn't have them. Tony had made his point clear that he was not willing to part with his best associates. She didn't care at this point. If they were expendable and knew it, they'd probably fight harder.

The phone rang in the middle of her thoughts and she rushed forward to grab it with a terse greeting. Her shoulders relaxed just slightly when she heard Duncan's voice.

"Eleven o'clock tonight, I'll deliver the package to the designated location," Duncan stated, eyeing the marshals in the room.

"Good, don't be late. My men have itchy trigger fingers," Marta said.

"Eleven o'clock," Duncan said again before hanging up the phone and addressing his captors. "I've done my part."

"Jack and Luis, transport him to the FBI, they'll lock him up," Stan ordered two of his inspectors.

"What men is she talking about?" Ryder asked as soon as Duncan was out of the room.

"Marta must have hired muscle for the job," Stan replied.

"SWAT will have flash bangs for the breach. It will stun them for five seconds while we make our entrance," Dershowitz said.

"I still have two inspectors on stakeout at the location. Let's contact them and see how many men she has and where they're being positioned," Stan said as he noticed Marshall calling.

"They've seen five men and Marta. Marta was hanging out in the office and the men were in rooms one through five," Marshall answered as he began to put on his vest.

"Alright let's head out," Stan said.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall, Stan and Ryder were riding in silence when Ryder finally looked back at Marshall.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Marshall replied.

"We'll get Marta, Marshall," Stan said confidently.

"Let's hope so. I want this over with once and for all. I'm tired of waiting to see who she hurts next," Marshall replied.

Ryder and Stan could relate to that sentiment. They had sat through most of the injuries Marta inflicted and wanted her put away. Her need for revenge had taken its toll on Marshall.

"We're fifteen minutes out," Stan said.

Marshall double checked his equipment as he waited impatiently for all of this to come to an end.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was at pacing back and forth in the living room, Elizabeth had finally had enough.

"Mary, I know you're worried, but you need to stop that. It's driving me insane."

"What?" Mary asked, looking up in surprise.

"The pacing. Stop. You need to relax. The kids are napping, why don't you join them?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"Not until Marshall calls," Mary said, determined.

"Then sit down. Your ankles are swollen and you keep rubbing your back. If you want I can get you something to eat."

Mary had to admit her back was extra sore and her ankles were more than likely swollen. She couldn't see them to verify that information anymore. She was two weeks away from thirty seven weeks. Her doctor wanted her to make that mark at least. Anytime after that would be fine. She couldn't wait. Not only was she eager for the twins' arrival, but she was eager to stop looking like a beached whale. She felt huge and was tired of it. Marshall always knew how to help her through the last month. It was usually when her patience began to wear thin and yet he could keep her calm until the birth. She never understood how he knew exactly what she needed, but was grateful that he did.

"I'm not hungry," Mary replied, finally sitting down.

Elizabeth was keeping a close eye on her. Something else was off, but Mary wasn't saying a thing. At first she had thought it was just the worry about Marshall. The rubbing of the back and the way her eyes would squint like she was in pain had Elizabeth concerned. The pained look continued on and off for another hour before Elizabeth had enough.

"What is going on? Don't even attempt to tell me nothing, either. I can tell something is causing you pain and it's more than your back. What are you not telling me?" Elizabeth demanded.

"It's nothing," Mary insisted, trying to ignore the fact that she was definitely going to need to tell Elizabeth soon if something didn't change.

"Don't lie to me. I've got too much to worry about without trying to figure you out too. My patience is wearing thin," Elizabeth cautioned.

Mary's eyebrow had shot up at the statement and tone. Elizabeth had never truly gotten upset with her before. Frustrated yes, but this was more. This is what Marshall warned her about. Mama Bear had reached her limit.

"Fine, I'm having some mild contractions. They'll slow down. It's too soon for the babies. Marshall isn't here and they aren't allowed to be born until he is," Mary snapped back.

"Real contractions? Not Braxton-Hicks? Don't lie to yourself, Mary" Elizabeth asked.

"Real. If we need to go to the hospital, I'll let you know," Mary said.

"Why don't you lie down and see if it helps? I'm not telling you to sleep, just relax," Elizabeth said worried.

Mary rolled her eyes, but complied. She laid down on the couch after moving her phone next to her and soon fell asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ryder, Stan and Marshall were waiting behind a couple members of the SWAT team outside the hotel's office. Dershowitz and several of his men were behind the remaining SWAT team members waiting to go into the five hotel rooms.

The signal was given and the flash bangs were thrown into the rooms. They entered the office quickly and began to examine every inch of the office. They looked through the entire room and came up empty.

"Where's Marta?" Marshall asked angrily.

"There was no report of her leaving," Stan replied.

"Maybe she moved into one of the rooms," Ryder suggested.

Marshall, Ryder, and Stan headed outside. Dershowitz was hauling one of the hired men out and they stopped him.

"Where's Marta?" Marshall demanded, ignoring the shocked look on Dershowitz's face.

"That crazy loon was in the office pacing around like a caged animal waiting to pounce on her prey," the man replied.

"We cleared the room. She wasn't in there," Marshall said.

"Marta was in there. We never saw her leave," the man insisted.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marta had been staring out through the blinds on the office window when she noted the SWAT team van pull up along with several other law enforcement vehicles. Cursing under her breath she walked over to the bookshelf, after grabbing a syringe out of her desk drawer, pulled out a book and hit the button that opened the shelf. She reached and arm inside and pulled the door open just enough to slip through. Once inside she hit the button closing the door. She made sure it was sealed tightly.

A few minutes later she heard a bang and the door hitting the wall. There were yells of U.S Marshal's and Albuquerque P.D. and she knew they were looking the room over as the next thing she heard was 'clear' from several different voices. She waited in the room. Somewhere out there Marshall and Ryder Mann were looking for her. She would bide her time in the room until someone figured out the library shelf hid the doorway.

The only way to enter the room was to pull the door open by reaching your hand inside. You couldn't see what was behind the door when you reached in. She made sure the syringe was ready. She would only get one chance at getting the syringe into whoever's hand appeared. She could only hope it was Ryder.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

After clearing all of the hotel rooms and coming up empty for Marta, the SWAT team and Albuquerque P.D. headed out with their prisoners. Stan, Marshall and Ryder headed into the office to check for any clues to Marta's whereabouts while waiting for the crime scene investigators to show up.

The three were looking through the paperwork on the desk and coming up empty. Frustrated Marshall took a step back. When he did, he noticed one book sticking out further than the others on the shelf. Thinking Marta may have hid something inside it in a hurry; he walked over and pulled the book out. He flipped through the pages and found nothing. As he was about to put the book back he noted the button.

"Guys," Marshall said softly.

Stan and Ryder both looked up as Marshall pushed the button. The door began to slide slightly open. Stan and Ryder pointed their weapons as Marshall reached around the door to pull it open.

Marta heard the door begin to open and stepped closer, waiting for the hand to come in. Once the hand came into view she quickly jabbed the syringe into it.

"Ouch," Marshall exclaimed as he yanked harder on the door. Ignoring the pinch his hand, he aimed his gun towards the side as Marta began to pull out her gun.

Marta cursed softly at first when she realized it was the son. Grabbing her gun she aimed to shoot him, before she could pull the trigger she felt pain in her chest as she fell backwards. Placing her hand on her chest she looked over to see Ryder standing with his gun still pointed at her.

"I guess you bested me, but can you save your son in time?' Marta choked out before her eyes closed.

Stan moved forward to check Marta. Reaching down he checked for a pulse.

"She's gone. What did she mean by can we save Marshall in time?" Stan asked confused. He pulled out his cell phone right away.

Stan and Ryder looked towards Marshall.

"She injected something into my hand," Marshall said pointing at the syringe lying on the ground.

Ryder could tell his son was in pain by the way his jaw was clenched. He collected the syringe and noticed it was half empty.

"The ambulance is on its way. Let's get him into the SUV and meet them part way," Stan said.

Ryder moved forward to help Marshall to the SUV when he grabbed his side and bit back a cry of pain. Grabbing Marshall's arm he put it over his shoulder and helped him to the SUV. Stan got into the car, hit the sirens, floored the gas peddle and headed in the direction the ambulance was coming.

"We should meet up with you in about five more minutes. The syringe is with us. Ryder, what are Marshall's symptoms?" Stan asked, while still on the phone with the dispatcher.

"Son, I need a list of everything that you're feeling," Ryder said.

"Hurts. Pain in abdomen, nauseas, hard to swallow," Marshall struggled to reply.

"Add fever and difficulty breathing to that Stan," Ryder said as he heard Marshall wheeze while trying to breath. "Hang in there Marshall. We all need you. Stay with me."

Stan hit the brakes as the ambulance came into view. They quickly loaded Marshall onto the gurney. Ryder climbed into the ambulance and handed the syringe to the paramedic.

Grabbing his phone Stan dialed his inspector assigned to Mary.

"Phil?"

"Yeah, boss."

"Bring Mary and her family home. Marta is dead. When you arrive at the airport, transport them to the hospital immediately. Marshall is being taken there now, but don't say anything to Mary. Call me when you arrive ," Stan said.

"Will do," the inspector replied before hanging up.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Elizabeth was watching Mary sleep when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Mann?" the male voice questioned.

"One of them," she replied.

"This is Phil from the detail. We've been instructed to bring you back to Albuquerque. The jet is being fueled and the detail will help you with your things."

"Thank you, Phil. Any word on what's happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"Marta was killed. The threat is over," Phil replied.

"Did they mention anything about Ryder or Marshall?"

"No, just to bring you home," Phil replied.

"Thank you, Phil. We're already packed so we should be ready shortly," Elizabeth said before hanging up.

Getting up, she gently shook Mary's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked, sitting up quickly.

"Nothing. It's over. They are coming to take us to the airstrip," Elizabeth said, filling Mary in on all the details she had.

"I don't want to wake the kids unless we have to. They both sleep like rocks, so I'm thinking we should be able to carry them and get them in the car seats without waking them up," Mary said.

"I'm sure we can get help with that," Elizabeth smirked. Her grandchildren were quite popular with the inspectors on their detail.

They put their suitcases near the door just as the detail showed up. The kids slept through the whole move and flight back.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Ryder were sitting in the waiting room when Eleanor showed up.

"Anything?" Eleanor asked.

"Not yet," Ryder replied.

"Do they know what she injected him with?" Eleanor asked.

"They sent the syringe to the lab to analyze it. Whatever it is, the symptoms started appeaing quickly," Ryder said in frustration.

"How long before Mary arrives?" Eleanor asked.

"Two and a half hours," Stan replied, checking his watch.

The doctor came out a half out later.

"How's my son?" Ryder asked her.

"Doing well under the circumstances. The syringe contained cobra venom. We've given him the antivenom. If the first dose doesn't work then a second dose will be administered. We'll be keeping him under observation for at least twenty-four hours. We want to keep a close eye on his vital signs, heart and oxygenation of his hemoglobin. If there are no problems we can send him home tomorrow night. We'll give you a list of signs and symptoms of delayed serum sickness. If he shows any of those signs, he'd need to return to the hospital. We'll go over that in further detail before he gets released from the hospital,' the doctor informed them.

"Thank you," Ryder said

"I'll have a nurse come and get you as soon as Mr. Mann has been moved into his room," the doctor said before she walked away.

Shortly afterwards a nurse took them to the room. Stan's phone rang while they were waiting for Marshall to wake up.

"McQueen."

"We've landed and are loading the Mann's into the SUV, boss."

"Thanks, Phil. I'll call Mary."

Stan hung up and dialed Mary right away.

"Marshall?" Mary asked, not looking at the caller id.

"Mary, it's Stan."

"What happened?" Mary felt her stomach drop.

"Marta injected Marshall with cobra venom as he tried to open a hidden door," Stan said and filled her in on what the doctor said. He also let her know the detail was already informed to bring them to the hospital.

"Thanks, Stan. We'll be there soon. What room is he in?" Mary asked.

"I'll meet you at the entrance and bring you to him," Stan replied.

"You're sure everything is okay?" Mary asked, needing to double check.

"The first dose appears to be working," Stan reassured.

Mary hung up and noticed Elizabeth looking at her.

"Which one?" Elizabeth asked.

"Marshall." Mary relayed the information Stan had given her.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ryder sat watching Marshall while waiting for the rest of his family to arrive.

"When you wake up, and after Mary finishes lecturing you, we're going to have a conversation about you getting injured," Ryder lectured while reaching out for Marshall's hand. "Maybe I should invest in a bubble to keep you safe from the world."

"He's going to get more than a bubble," Mary said from the door.

Ryder stood up so Mary could sit next to Marshall. He kissed her cheek as she walked over to the bed.

"Did I not tell the three of you to stay safe?" Mary asked. She sat down and gently ran her fingers through Marshall's hair before linking their hands.

"Marshall doesn't listen very well," Stan replied.

"Are you both okay?" Mary asked. Marshall looked pale to her.

"Yes," Stan and Ryder replied in unison.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Ryder asked.

"She was talking to Eleanor for awhile. Eleanor is taking the kids home and will sit with them until you or Elizabeth get there."

"I don't suppose that I could convince you to go home and get some sleep?" Ryder said.

"I'm not leaving until I see those blue eyes and hear some useless trivia. I know that I need to rest, so before you argue, why don't you see if they can put a cot or something in here," Mary replied.

"I'll take care of that," Stan said. "Elizabeth will want to make sure that Ryder is alright," Stan said before walking out of the room to find a nurse.

"Marshall, I'm so not letting you out of my sights ever again," Mary whispered lovingly.

Ryder was about to comment when Elizabeth entered.

"Ryder," she whispered before going into his arms. She stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Are you okay?"

"I'd be better if Marshall would wake up. He needs to stop scaring me," Ryder said honestly.

"That'll be the day," Mary said sarcastically.

"A man can hope," Ryder replied. He watched as Elizabeth moved towards their son. Leaning over the railing she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"We're all here, Marshall," Elizabeth said softly.

"Mary, they're bringing a cot in for you. It should be here shortly," Stan said as he returned.

"I'm staying also," Elizabeth replied.

"No, actually I'll be staying with Mary," Ryder corrected. He raised his hand before Elizabeth could argue. "Marshall will want to make sure I'm okay. I'm not sure he fully comprehended what happened after he was injected."

Elizabeth didn't like it, but she knew Ryder was right.

"Fine, but you need to keep an eye on Mary also. She was having contractions before we left Wisconsin. Mary, you're to let Ryder know if they come back."

"I'll keep a very close watch on Mary. If something happens, I'll give you a call," Ryder replied.

"Why do I feel like I just lost control over my own life?" Mary asked.

"Not control, but I'm not dealing with the fallout if something happens with the babies. Marshall and Elizabeth would both make my life hell for a long time," Ryder replied. "Beside I wouldn't forgive myself."

"You realize if something happens, we're already at the hospital. Think of the time I saved you," Mary replied rolling her eyes.

"Let's try to avoid that shall we? The two of you being in the hospital without being in the same room will traumatize two floors," Ryder teased lightly.

Mary chuckled at that before looking back at Marshall and then to Ryder.

"Have I thanked you for all of you support and help?" Mary asked.

"No need to. We're family and that is what family does for each other," Ryder replied before pulling a chair up next to Mary.

Mary leaned over and kissed Ryder's cheek. "Thank you anyways. You and Elizabeth have done so much for us. I know I don't say it often or nearly enough. I appreciate everything you do for us."

Ryder knew that it took a lot for Mary to say that just by the slight flush of embarrassment on her cheeks.

"You are turning into a sap Mary Mann," Ryder teased.

"It's all Marshall's fault," Mary said with a smile on her face.

"Mare?"

Mary and Ryder both looked to Marshall. His eyes were barely open and he was struggling to keep them that way.

"I'm here, Doofus," Mary replied.

"Dad?" Marshall asked.

"I'm fine, Son. Don't ever do something like that again. You scared me," Ryder replied.

"Okay," Marshall said drowsily.

The nurse came in to see that his eyes were barely open and he was drifting off again. She asked him a couple questions and wrote something in his chart and left the room.

"Sleep, Marshall, we can talk when you're coherent," Mary said, running her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.

"You should sleep now, while he's out," Ryder replied.

Mary nodded. She figured Marshall wouldn't wake up for awhile and if she was honest with herself, she was exhausted.

"Wake me up if Marshall wakes up," Mary said.

"I will," Ryder replied.

Mary lay down on the cot and fell asleep a few minutes later. Ryder smiled as he watched her and Marshall. He had always liked Mary. The first time he met her he saw what Marshall saw in her. He was glad they had managed to make things work. She was more like Marshall than most people realized. Their sense of loyalty to each other was stronger than any other Ryder had ever encountered. It made him proud of both of them and thrilled to watch how his grandchildren would learn and develop under their guidance.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Elizabeth had left her sleeping grandchildren with Eleanor as she went to the hospital to check on both Marshall and Mary. Eleanor would bring the children by the hospital later. Marshall would need to see his children after he woke up.

Opening the door to his room, she saw Mary asleep on the cot, Ryder asleep with his head on the bed and Marshall's blue eyes looking back and forth between the two and then swiftly towards the opening door.

"How long have you been awake?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"A few minutes. When did you get home?" Marshall asked.

"Last night. The kids will be by later. They're still sleeping and I didn't want to wake them. Eleanor stayed at the house last night to help," Elizabeth replied, walking towards the bed.

Marshall noted the way his mother's eyes scanned him. He knew she was looking to assess him herself.

"I'm fine, Mom." Marshall said.

"No, you're not. You will be, thankfully," she replied, kissing his cheek. "You scared Mary and me."

"How are the kids? How was Mary?" Marshall asked.

"Emily is doing well. They released her from the hospital yesterday. She has a bandage over the trach hole, but that should heal up in a couple of weeks. She still gets tired easily, but she was doing better than they had anticipated. Brennan seemed to perk up at her return. The child psychologist helped him talk about the shooting. Once all of you are home together, I think he'll be fine. He's already improved a lot. Mary's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. She hated not being able to have your back," Elizabeth replied.

"What aren't you telling me?" Marshall asked. He knew his Mom was holding something back.

"Nothing that you need to worry about. You need to concentrate on getting better," Elizabeth said.

"Mom," Marshall started.

"Stop picking on the woman, Doofus," Mary said.

"Then tell me," Marshall replied getting aggravated.

"Tone it down, buddy. I don't need your monitors going up and causing a fuss. I had some contractions before, but they stopped. No big deal. Eagle eyes one and two," Mary said pointing at his parents, "were making sure nothing happened. Although eagle eyes two seems to have fallen down on the job." Mary smiled at Ryder's sleeping form.

"He hasn't had a lot of sleep. You sure that you're okay?" Marshall asked.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Good Morning?" Ryder said sleepily.

"Good Morning, honey," Elizabeth greeted.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Marshall asked.

"I told you he wasn't going to remember anything from last night," Ryder said, looking at Mary.

Mary just stuck her tongue out at Ryder, who chuckled.

"I'm fine. You need to be more careful and stop scaring everyone or we're putting you into a bubble," Ryder said.

"What happened to Marta?" Marshall asked.

"I shot her," Ryder said before giving him the whole story.

"It's finally over, Marshall," Mary said grabbing a chair and moving it up to his bedside. "No more looking over your shoulder."

Marshall's eyes started to fill with tears that he'd held back for years. Mary held him while he broke down. Elizabeth took Ryder out of the room. Mary and Marshall needed some time alone to talk.

Marshall composed himself and pulled back from Mary. Swiping away the tears he looked into her face.

"I'm sorry. I just can't believe it's finally over. She can't hurt us anymore."

"Don't ever be sorry for your emotions, Marshall. You've kept so much of it bottled inside of you. You knew she'd come back, and you lived with that fear for a long time. I want you to talk to me about it when you're ready. It still has a grip on your heart. In some ways it always will because you lost your sister. Just promise me that you'll talk to me instead of keeping it bottled up. I hate seeing you hurt," Mary said wiping the stray tear that slid down Marshall's cheek.

"I promise. I love you. I missed you and the kids," Marshall said, pulling Mary's face closer.

Mary closed the gap and captured Marshall's lips in a passionate kiss.

"Yuck. Mommy's giving Daddy girl germs," Brennan said.

Mary and Marshall pulled apart laughing.

"Hey, buddy," Marshall said. "Hi, Emily."

Eleanor and Stan entered the room, each carrying one of the kids.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Brennan asked softly.

""I'm okay," Marshall answered, settling Brennan onto the bed next to him "I'd be even better if I could get a hug," Marshall said. Mary smiled as she took Emily from Eleanor.

"Missed you lots, Daddy," Brennan said, placing a kiss on Marshall's cheek before hugging him.

"I missed you too," Marshall held his son tightly before placing a kiss to his cheek. "How was your trip?"

Brennan told Marshall all about it with special enthusiasm for the airplane rides.

"Brennan, why don't you sit in Mommy's lap for a few minutes," Mary said, knowing Marshall needed to hold Emily too.

"Okay," he said sliding off the bed. Mary put Emily next to her Daddy.

"How's my Emmy Bear?" Marshall asked as Emily laid her head on his shoulder. Marshall held her tightly.

"Emily is doing very well," Mary answered watching her daughter smile at her father.

"Love you, Daddy," Emily said softly.

"I missed you all so much," Marshall said, choking up. Mary grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Grandpa!" Brennan called out excitedly as Marshall's parents, Stan and Eleanor returned. Squirming his way off Mary's lap, he ran to Ryder.

Emily's head lifted off of Marshall's shoulder at the sound of her brother's excitement.

"How's my Grandson?" Ryder asked, scooping Brennan into his arms. Brennan repeated what he had told Marshall.

Ryder noticed Emily sitting up with her hands out Setting Brennan down, he picked Emily up. Mary knew the three men needed to talk.

"Hi Grandpa!" Emily said as Ryder picked her up.

"Brennan, Emily, why don't we go with Grandma Elizabeth and Grandma Eleanor and see if we can get a doughnut from the cafeteria? Then on the way back, maybe we can find something with some color to brighten Daddy's room up," Mary said.

Both of her children's heads bobbed up and down in a definite yes.

"Don't wear him out on me," Mary said as they left the room.

"You're looking much better this morning, Marshall," Stan said.

"Thanks, Stan. She's really dead?" Marshall asked.

"Marta's dead, Marshall. She can't hurt anyone anymore. We need to debrief, so I can finishing writing up my report," Stan said.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Eleanor and Elizabeth had been watching Mary since they sat down at one of the tables in the cafeteria. She'd been looking uncomfortable for over a half an hour now.

"What?" Mary asked, trying to hide her irritation in front of the kids.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same question," Eleanor replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mary asked.

"You're looking extremely uncomfortable," Eleanor replied.

Mary didn't want to say anything in front of the kids. Actually she didn't want to say anything at all. The contractions were back and she was hoping that they would go away.

"Of course I'm uncomfortable. I'm thirty five and a half weeks pregnant," Mary said.

They dropped the conversation until fifteen minutes later when Ryder joined them; Stan had remained in the room with Marshall.

"Grandpa, can you take the kids to go find something for their Dad while we have a talk with Mary?"

"Sure," Ryder said, knowing something was up. Elizabeth would tell him later.

The second Ryder and her grandkids were out of sight, Elizabeth glared at Mary.

"Have you been having contractions the entire time we've been here?"

Mary was trying to figure out how to deny it when a particularly strong one hit and she grasped the table. Her grip was so tight that her knuckles turned white.

"On that note, let's get you checked out," Eleanor said as her and Elizabeth both quickly got out of their chairs.

"I'm not having these children yet," Mary said through clenched teeth.

"The more the reason to see the doctor. Let's go," Elizabeth ordered.


	11. Chapter 11

Elizabeth and Eleanor were sitting in the waiting room while the doctor was checking Mary. Ryder had seen them go by and followed with the kids. Finding out what was happening; he left the kids with his wife and headed back to Marshall's room. They didn't want to worry Marshall yet and were afraid if the kids went with they'd spill the beans. Emily was in Eleanor's lap while Brennan was sitting in Elizabeth's lap.

"Grandma?"

"Yes, Brennan," Elizabeth replied.

"Are Mommy and the babies going to be okay?"

"The babies are just getting antsy to be born. They'll be okay." Elizabeth prayed it was the truth.

"But Mommy said they couldn't be born until Daddy could be there," Brennan said confused.

"Mommy wants Daddy to be with her when the babies are born, just like he was for both you and Emily. Sometimes, though, the babies have to come sooner then what we plan." Elizabeth tried to keep it plain and simple.

"Are they going to get grounded for that? Mommy won't be happy. She doesn't like it when we don't do what she wants us to," Brennan asked.

Elizabeth and Eleanor both had to cover up their laughter.

"No, Mommy will not ground the twins if they are born before Daddy can be with her. It's not their fault if they need to come early."

Eleanor smirked at the inquisitive child. He was so much like Marshall it amazed her. It made her wish she could've met the inspector before his sister was killed. The stories they heard about the Marshall as a little boy had warmed her heart to him even more.

"What, Brennan?" Eleanor asked, realizing she'd been so lost in thought she missed the question.

"Do you know when Daddy's going to be able to come home?"

"Soon, hopefully really soon," Eleanor replied.

"You're here for Mary Mann?" The doctor asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied, and Eleanor signaled she'd take the kids with her. Ryder had left without picking up a gift for Marshall since he was concerned about what was happening.

"Brennan and Emily, why don't we see if we can find Mommy and Daddy something from the shop?" Eleanor asked.

Emily and Brennan both eagerly nodded and followed Eleanor as Elizabeth mouthed thank you to the other woman.

The doctor waited in understanding. "Mary was having symptoms of labor. Also, her blood pressure is elevated. I ran some tests, but everything else seems to be fine. Has she been under a lot of stress lately?"

"Yes." Elizabeth replied. "Her check ups while we were out of town had been okay. Her blood pressure was a little high but not by much."

"I gave her some medication to stop the contractions. I'm hoping that it will allow her to get through to next week at least. I want to monitor her for twelve to twenty four hours before sending her home. If things are going fine, then I will send her home with at least partial bed rest requirements. If we do release her and she shows signs of labor again, she'll need to be brought back to the hospital for more monitoring and if we would need to we'll administer some medication to help develop the babies' lungs," the doctor informed.

"Can I see her?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sure, follow me. I'll have one of the nurses let your family know where you are when they return," the doctor replied.

Elizabeth entered the room to see Mary lying on her side. Grabbing a chair she pulled it up to the side of the bed. Reaching out, she wiped the lone tear that strayed down Mary's cheek.

"Everything is going to be just fine. You just need to relax a little more. Those babies know better then to come while their father can't be in the delivery room." Elizabeth smiled at Mary.

"I can't do this without him," Mary said softly.

"You won't. Marshall is still responding well to the anti-venom. Everything will work out just fine."

Mary smirked at that. "Where are the kids?"

"Eleanor took them with her while the doctor talked to me."

"Partial bed rest is required at the minimum when I get set free," Mary said, less then enthusiastically.

"You'll survive, besides Marshall will be home to pamper you," Elizabeth said, squeezing her hand.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Eleanor returned with the kids bringing a balloon and some fake flowers.

"Mommy, look what we got you," Brennan said excitedly.

"They're just what I needed, sweetie. Thank you both very much." Mary smiled at Emily and Brennan. "What did you get Daddy?"

"A book, crossword puzzle, newspaper and a balloon for color," Eleanor replied.

"Daddy will love it," Mary said, trying not to roll her eyes at Eleanor.

"Everything okay?" Eleanor asked. She knew they needed to be able to tell Marshall what was happening.

"So far. They gave me something to stop the contractions," Mary replied. She relayed the rest of the information while Grandma Elizabeth kept the kids occupied with showing her the things they bought.

"You're going to be stuck on bed rest and Marshall will be at home recovering at the same time?" Eleanor asked, amused.

"Not funny," Mary replied.

"Depends where you're standing. I'll make sure Stan and I keep busy at the office," Eleanor said, smirking.

"What are you trying to imply?" Mary asked.

"You two will get bored so quickly it will drive your in-laws crazy. Oh, forgot to mention your family will be arriving back tomorrow," Eleanor said.

"Can you let them know what's happening?" Mary asked, not up to dealing with her mother's drama about everything that's happened.

"Do you want me to delay them?" Eleanor asked.

"I'm starting to like you, stop that," Mary smiled.

"Heaven forbid we try something new." Eleanor enjoyed the banter. It at least meant Mary was more relaxed. "I'll buy you a couple of days. Tell them something came up and it's a precautionary measure. I can get Stan to agree to it under the circumstances." Eleanor and Stan would foot the bill themselves if necessary. Mary and Marshall didn't need to deal with Jinx right now.

"Thanks, Eleanor. Can you let Marshall know what's going on? Ryder won't be able to keep it a secret for too long," Mary said.

"I'll go with the kids. They can give Daddy his goods," Eleanor replied, before getting the kids and heading to Marshall's room.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ryder was waiting anxiously for Eleanor or Elizabeth to show up. Marshall had been staring at him oddly since he arrived. Stan was talking to him, so it prevented him from asking anything.

"Dad, what's going on?" Marshall asked impatiently.

"Nothing, why?" Ryder replied, too quickly for his own liking.

"You keep looking at the door. It's like you're waiting for something," Marshall said.

Stan realized that the women had been gone for awhile and Eleanor had mentioned Mary having contractions yesterday. He took a closer look at Ryder and had to agree with Marshall's assessment.

Ryder didn't want to lie, but he wished he had more information. He didn't want to get Marshall worked up.

"Mary was having some contractions and I was hoping that we'd hear something by now," Ryder replied.

"It's too soon. Next week is the beginning of the early due dates that are considered acceptable," Marshall said, aggravated.

"That's why the doctor gave her something to stop the contractions. They're monitoring her for twelve to twenty-four hours," Eleanor replied, as she entered with the kids and explained the rest of the information.

"I need to go see her," Marshall said, trying to sit up.

Stan and Ryder both placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from getting up.

"You aren't going anywhere. The medicine is still working in your system. They need to keep you monitored so that they know if any other symptoms develop. What do you think that will do to your children if something happens?" Ryder asked, keeping his voice low so the kids didn't hear him.

Marshall was about to argue, but realized his father was right. Emily and Brennan didn't need to see him hurting himself. They had been through enough already.

"You'll tell me the minute you know something?" Marshall asked.

"Of course," Ryder said softly. "Now why don't you see what your children brought you, while I run down and check on Mary for you? She's probably giving your mother grief for not being able to come see you. This hospital will be thrilled when the two of you are out of here."

Marshall smirked at that comment. The staff had been through that scenario a few times and it was never pretty. He often felt they owed the staff some kind of repayment.

"Thanks, Dad," Marshall said before turning his attention to Emily and Brennan.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary had fallen asleep while Elizabeth sat by her side. Elizabeth smiled at the peaceful look on Mary's face as she slept. Her daughter-in-law was getting some well overdue rest.

Elizabeth turned as she heard footsteps enter. "Ryder," she smiled, getting out of her seat and going in for a hug.

"Hey, beautiful. How are they doing?" Ryder looked on at Mary's sleeping form.

"They'll be okay. The medicine seems to be doing the trick so far." Elizabeth relished the safety and warmth of her husband's arms.

"How's our son?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's a good thing they already have children," Ryder told her about what happened in the room. "You realize the two of them are going to be a living nightmare until they can leave the house."

"I can live with it as long as they're both healthy, and the babies hold off until Marshall can be with Mary," Elizabeth smiled.

"I can't believe Marta is finally out of our lives," Ryder whispered, holding Elizabeth closer.

"I know it seems surreal to know that she won't be causing any more harm to our family. Maybe now Marshall can let Emily go," Elizabeth replied.

"I hope so. I doubt he'll completely be free of his insecurities. Marshall will never stop watching his family leave. He'll always worry it's the last time he'll see them. I hate what Marta's family did to our son. What they did to our family left a scar no one can completely heal. I'm thankful Mary found Marshall. It's the best thing that could've happened to him. He talks to her about things he's never been comfortable to share. I still have regrets, Elizabeth, about what role I played in Marshall's healing process. Hindsight is a hard thing sometimes." Ryder kissed his wife's forehead.

"This family is resilient, Ryder. We've survived everything they threw at us. Mary said that she and Marshall had gone from bruised not broken to finding happiness and contentment. They now know this family's resilience. They will come out stronger after this. We did when Emily died. It took time, heartache and work, but we made it and are stronger for it. We've been blessed with beautiful grandchildren and Emily still lives in our hearts," Elizabeth reminded. "Your son loves you and that is all you need to know. The past is the past. We all need to learn to let go of the guilt and we've been making strides towards that. It won't ever be perfect. Nothing ever is, but it's as close to perfection as we make it."

"They're a strong pair. Even before they were married they were strong. I don't think I've seen a set of partners that were that close before," Ryder replied.

"They've been through more things than most couples or partners ever go through. I'm proud of both of them. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter-in-law. Our son is happy and Mary has healed him in ways that we weren't able to," Elizabeth said.

"Geez, you two are sappier than I am. At least I can blame it on hormones. What's your excuse?" Mary grumbled lightly. She woke up in the middle of their conversation. She couldn't help but smile at Elizabeth's compliment of her.

"I'm going to be glad when you can have caffeine again. You're a crab ass when you wake up without it," Ryder replied.

Mary stuck her tongue out at Ryder.

"Why is it that whenever you two are in the same room the childish antics come out?" Elizabeth asked, shaking her head in amusement.

"How's my hubby?" Mary asked.

Ryder relayed what happened upstairs.

"Did you yell at him?" Mary asked as soon as Ryder finished.

"Not in front of my grandchildren. Besides, it would be like yelling at you. In one ear and out the other," Ryder smirked smugly before turning serious. "How do you feel? I'll be expected to have a full report upon my return."

"I'm okay. I just don't like being stuck here when Marshall needs me with him. Don't try and play the children card on me either, I already know, I need to be here right now. Doesn't mean I have to like it, but if it keeps them from coming early then I'll behave. Marshall has to be there for their birth. I refuse to do it without him. On the other hand you, Stan and I need to have a serious talk about your broken promise," Mary said.

"Marshall will be there for the birth. Stop fussing over the fact. For the record, we did manage to keep him safe most of the time you were gone," Ryder replied. Sitting down they talked for awhile before Mary fell asleep again.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan and Eleanor were sitting reading a story to the kids in the waiting room when Ryder returned. Stan looked up.

"How's Mary?"

"Doing well. She fell asleep again, but she needs to rest anyways," Ryder admitted.

"Good, at least she's not having the babies yet," Stan said. "You imagine trying to keep your son in that bed if she was in labor?"

"We'd have to handcuff him to the bed. Why are you out here?" Ryder asked.

"The doctor is looking Marshall over," Eleanor said. "I was thinking of bringing the kids down to the cafeteria for lunch, and then stopping by their Mom before taking them out for a little while."

Ryder knew the kids would get anxious if they stayed indoors for too long. "Why don't I join you?"

"I'll wait with Marshall," Stan offered.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary's doctor came back into the room.

"How are you feeling, Mary?" she asked.

"Pretty good. I haven't had anymore contractions," Mary replied.

"It looks like the medicine is doing its job. I'm going to let you go home, but I want you on partial bed rest. If you begin to have contractions again, I want you to come back right away," the doctor said.

Mary wanted to cry when the doctor said bed rest. She knew it meant that she wouldn't be able to be with Marshall until he was released.

Elizabeth patted Mary's hand. "I'll wheel you up there before we leave for home. It's only for another twelve hours."

"I just got him back; I want to stay with him. This sucks," Mary said, exasperated.

"Mary, don't let this get you worked up. You need to stay calm or you'll be delivering these kids without him in the room," Elizabeth knew it sounded harsh, but Mary needed to focus on the end goal. She wasn't going to be able to have it both ways right now.

"I'm sorry, it's just frustrating after everything else that's happened," Mary replied.

"Think of it this way, after he gets home he'll drive you crazy trying to keep you from doing anything," Elizabeth teased lightly.

Mary smirked at that. "Well he needs to take it easy also. You realize that you and Ryder are going to have your hands full when Marshall comes home," Mary replied.

"If you two get out of control we'll call in the cavalry. I'm sure Jinx, Stan and especially Eleanor can handle both of you," Elizabeth smiled.

"You wouldn't," Mary said, shocked.

"Oh, but I would for my own sanity." Elizabeth laughed at the stunned expression on Mary's face.

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Marshall had responded well to the anti-venom and was showing no delayed symptoms of the venom. Ryder headed to the hospital to pick up his son. Mary was more anxious than the kids to see him.

Mary was lying on the sofa awaiting his arrival and watching cartoons with Emily and Brennan. The door opened revealing Marshall and Ryder a half hour later.

"Daddy!" Emily and Brennan exclaimed, as they ran towards him.

Marshall picked them both up and gave them each a kiss on the cheek while heading towards the sofa.

"What are you two up to?" Marshall asked.

"Cartoons," Emily replied.

"Put your children down before those ribs start hurting and then get your scrawny butt over here, Doofus," Mary said.

"Better idea, why don't both patients go get rest while their children are enjoying their cartoons," Elizabeth said as she entered the living room.

"I just got out of bed," Marshall complained.

"That excuse doesn't work with her," Mary replied. "Trust me, I've tried it."

"You haven't even been home a day. You have to work up to it. Remind me to give you a lesson in how to deal with my mother in full parental mode," Marshall said softly so only Mary could hear.

"Go to bed, you two," Elizabeth said sternly.

Marshall knew not to argue. "Let's go, beautiful." He helped Mary off the couch before heading to their bedroom.

"How long is your mother going to be like that?" Mary asked.

"Until the twins are born for you, and for me it will depend on when she's decided I've had an appropriate amount of time to heal. More than likely when the twins are here," Marshall shrugged.

"I never realized how bossy your Mom could be," Mary said, lying on top of the bed.

"She's kept all the worry about Marta inside and was trying to be strong for the rest of us. This is her way of making sure that everything returns to normal," Marshall replied honestly. Joining Mary on the bed he snuggled up to her. "I've missed you."

Mary turned her head towards Marshall. Kissing him on the lips, she smiled. "I missed you too. I'm not going to be able to handle all this partial bed rest. Any ideas on how to sneak out for a little while?" Mary teased.

"Are you kidding? Do you know what my parents, your Mom, Stan and Eleanor would do to the two of us if we tried that? You think she's bad now, disobey the rules. You unleash a whole new terror. They'll be watching us like a hawk, they don't trust us to behave," Marshall smirked.

"Imagine that," Mary smiled back. "Go to sleep, you look tired."

Marshall smiled at that. "That's my girl."

Mary smiled at his statement. She fell asleep shortly after he did. She was content for now just to be together again.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Ryder decided to take a look in on Mary and Marshall. He wanted to make sure they were okay. Opening the door, he couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. Marshall had found a way to spoon his wife while keeping Mary on her side. They'd be fine. Definitely be up to no good soon, also.

"Don't think you're out of the woods, mister," Mary mumbled to Ryder.

"I didn't mean to wake you. Just wanted to make sure the both of you were alright," Ryder shrugged.

"Marshall is sleeping fine and his breathing sounds normal. I still want a word with you and Stan," Mary warned.

"Of course you do, and as soon as those babies are born you can have it, but until that time you need to stay calm. Marshall is in no condition to be going through labor with you right now," Ryder smiled.

"Goodnight, Ryder," Mary huffed. She knew he was right and knew they did everything they could to protect Marshall, but she wouldn't be her if she didn't threaten them some, after all, they did promise to stay safe. She snuggled as close to Marshall as the twins would allow. Gently stroking his cheek she fell asleep watching him.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Three weeks later found Mary and Marshall returning home from the hospital with Amanda Elizabeth Mann and Wyatt Ryder Mann in their arms. The twins had been kind and waited until Mary was thirty-eight weeks along. The delivery had gone well and they were glad to be home.

"Surprise!" the room full of people shouted.

"Did you know?" Mary quickly shot Marshall a glare.

"Nope and stop glaring. I'm sure there is food involved with this," Marshall smirked.

"Your Mom's ribs?" Mary asked hopefully.

"I'm guessing, yes. Stan and Dad are trying to stay on your good side still. They keep hoping you'll stay distracted enough not to get yelled at."

"They are so not getting out of a lecture. It would destroy my reputation. Besides, now that we've had the last of our children, I won't have to worry. I can keep your back covered from now on," Mary smiled. She had made Marshall get 'neutered' as she liked to call it. She had figured it was only fair since she had done the child bearing that he be the one to get fixed.

Brandi and Peter came over and took the babies while everyone else doted on Brennan and Emily. The family didn't want any of the kids feeling left out. Marshall wrapped his arms around Mary and held her close. His chin rested on her head as he watched everyone with their children.

"Emily would've loved this. She would've been a great aunt," Marshall choked on the last part.

"She still is, Marshall. She's keeping an eye on them from above," Mary said, turning around and hugging him. She knew he still struggled with her loss.

"Thank you for everything, Mare," Marshall said sincerely.

"Loving you is the best thing that ever happened to me. You've given me a real family. One that survives the worst of times and strives in the best of times. You showed me what happy really is, and I'll always be grateful," Mary whispered in his ear.

He kissed her and then turned her towards their family. "For the first time in a long time I don't have the worries of my past coming back to hurt us. I'm looking forward to watching our children grow up and us growing old together. I'll still worry about the kids when they're out of my sight, I'm not sure I'll ever completely get over that. I don't want them to ever know what it's like to lose a sibling. No family should have to bear that. "

"I hope in time it will be easier for you, Marshall. I know losing your sister did a lot of damage. I still think she's looking out for you and all of us. Do you wonder what our kids will grow up to be? I wonder how many of them will end up in law enforcement?" Mary said.

"With our luck, all of them. That thought scares me. We know what's out there and the danger they would be exposed to. The funny thing is, I couldn't discourage them from it either. If it weren't for the job, I would have never met you."

Mary smiled recalling their first meeting. "We've come a long ways, Doofus. Now let's go join the party before I miss the ribs."

"It's always about the ribs with you," Marshall laughed as he watched his wife head to the table.

Marshall thought about what Mary said about his sister, a smile formed on his lips. He couldn't help but think she'd had a hand in all their fates. _Thanks Emily, for looking out for us. I love you, sis. _Marshall let the thought warm his heart before joining the rest of his family in the kitchen.


End file.
